Benefits of Yoga
Weight loss, a strong and flexible body, glowing beautiful skin, peaceful mind, good health – whatever you may be looking for, yoga has it on offer. However, very often, yoga is only partially understood as being limited to asanas (yoga poses). As such, its benefits are only perceived to be at the body level and we fail to realize the immense benefits yoga offers in uniting the body, mind and breath. When you are in harmony, the journey through life is calmer, happier and more fulfilling.
With all this and much more to offer, the benefits of yoga are felt in a profound yet subtle manner. Here, we look at the top 10 benefits of regular yoga practice.
1. All-round fitness. You are truly healthy when you are not just physically fit but also mentally and emotionally balanced. As Sri Sri Ravi Shankar puts it, “Health is not a mere absence of disease. It is a dynamic expression of life – in terms of how joyful, loving and enthusiastic you are.” This is where yoga helps: postures, pranayama (breathing techniques) and meditation are a holistic fitness package.
2. Weight loss. What many want! Yoga benefits here too. Moreover, with regular practice of yoga, we tend to become more sensitive to the kind of food our body asks for and when. This can also help keep a check on weight.
3. Stress relief. A few minutes of yoga during the day can be a great way to get rid of stress that accumulates daily - in both the body and mind. Yoga postures, pranayama and meditation are effective techniques to release stress. You can also experience how yoga helps de-tox the body and de-stress the mind.
4. Inner peace. We all love to visit peaceful, serene spots, rich in natural beauty. Little do we realize that peace can be found right within us and we can take a mini-vacation to experience this any time of the day! Benefit from a small holiday every day with yoga and meditation. Yoga is also one of the best ways to calm a disturbed mind.
5. Improved immunity. Our system is a seamless blend of the body, mind and spirit. An irregularity in the body affects the mind and similarly unpleasantness or restlessness in the mind can manifest as an ailment in the body. Yoga poses massage organs and strengthen muscles; breathing techniques and meditation release stress and improve immunity.
6. Living with greater awareness. The mind is constantly involved in activity – swinging from the past to the future – but never staying in the present. By simply being aware of this tendency of the mind, we can actually save ourselves from getting stressed or worked up and relax the mind. Yoga and pranayama help create that awareness and bring the mind back to the present moment, where it can stay happy and focused.
7. Better relationships. Yoga can even help improve your relationship with your spouse, parents, friends or loved ones! A mind that is relaxed, happy and contented is better able to deal with sensitive relationship matters. Yoga and meditation work on keeping the mind happy and peaceful; benefit from the strengthened special bond you share with people close to you.
8. Increased energy. Do you feel completely drained out by the end of the day? Shuttling between multiple tasks through the day can sometimes be quite exhausting. A few minutes of yoga everyday provides the secret to feeling fresh and energetic even after a long day. A 10-minute online guided meditation benefits you immensely, leaving you refreshed and recharged in the middle of a hectic day.
9. Better flexibility & posture. You only need to include yoga in your daily routine to benefit from a body that is strong, supple and flexible. Regular yoga practice stretches and tones the body muscles and also makes them strong. It also helps improve your body posture when you stand, sit, sleep or walk. This would, in turn, help relieve you of body pain due to incorrect posture.
10. Better intuition. Yoga and meditation have the power to improve your intuitive ability so that you effortlessly realize what needs to be done, when and how, to yield positive results. It works. You only need to experience it yourself.
Remember, yoga is a continuous process. So keep practicing! The deeper you move into your yoga practice, the more profound are its benefits.
Ways to create a space of calm with yoga
When a rug is shaken just before a floor is cleaned, all the dust flies up into the air. Taking time away for some gentle yoga allows the dust to clear when one goes through any disturbing incidences. It’s a good time to soak up peace and bring the mind back to stillness. With yoga breathing techniques and some tips to calm your nerves, stay centered in the peaceful eye of the storm.
Practice yoga breathing techniques called pranayams Yoga breathing techniques, or pranayams, build the life-force energy in the body. A simple yoga breathing exercise called Bhastrika will help you smile and laugh off tension after a fight. The ‘Bellows’ yoga breath vigorously pushes the breath up and out through the lungs, building up the oxygen in the body. The result is a more calm and clear mind. It is best to learn pranayams from a certified teacher.
With all this and much more to offer, the benefits of yoga are felt in a profound yet subtle manner. Here, we look at the top 10 benefits of regular yoga practice.
1. All-round fitness. You are truly healthy when you are not just physically fit but also mentally and emotionally balanced. As Sri Sri Ravi Shankar puts it, “Health is not a mere absence of disease. It is a dynamic expression of life – in terms of how joyful, loving and enthusiastic you are.” This is where yoga helps: postures, pranayama (breathing techniques) and meditation are a holistic fitness package.
2. Weight loss. What many want! Yoga benefits here too. Moreover, with regular practice of yoga, we tend to become more sensitive to the kind of food our body asks for and when. This can also help keep a check on weight.
3. Stress relief. A few minutes of yoga during the day can be a great way to get rid of stress that accumulates daily - in both the body and mind. Yoga postures, pranayama and meditation are effective techniques to release stress. You can also experience how yoga helps de-tox the body and de-stress the mind.
4. Inner peace. We all love to visit peaceful, serene spots, rich in natural beauty. Little do we realize that peace can be found right within us and we can take a mini-vacation to experience this any time of the day! Benefit from a small holiday every day with yoga and meditation. Yoga is also one of the best ways to calm a disturbed mind.
5. Improved immunity. Our system is a seamless blend of the body, mind and spirit. An irregularity in the body affects the mind and similarly unpleasantness or restlessness in the mind can manifest as an ailment in the body. Yoga poses massage organs and strengthen muscles; breathing techniques and meditation release stress and improve immunity.
6. Living with greater awareness. The mind is constantly involved in activity – swinging from the past to the future – but never staying in the present. By simply being aware of this tendency of the mind, we can actually save ourselves from getting stressed or worked up and relax the mind. Yoga and pranayama help create that awareness and bring the mind back to the present moment, where it can stay happy and focused.
7. Better relationships. Yoga can even help improve your relationship with your spouse, parents, friends or loved ones! A mind that is relaxed, happy and contented is better able to deal with sensitive relationship matters. Yoga and meditation work on keeping the mind happy and peaceful; benefit from the strengthened special bond you share with people close to you.
8. Increased energy. Do you feel completely drained out by the end of the day? Shuttling between multiple tasks through the day can sometimes be quite exhausting. A few minutes of yoga everyday provides the secret to feeling fresh and energetic even after a long day. A 10-minute online guided meditation benefits you immensely, leaving you refreshed and recharged in the middle of a hectic day.
9. Better flexibility & posture. You only need to include yoga in your daily routine to benefit from a body that is strong, supple and flexible. Regular yoga practice stretches and tones the body muscles and also makes them strong. It also helps improve your body posture when you stand, sit, sleep or walk. This would, in turn, help relieve you of body pain due to incorrect posture.
10. Better intuition. Yoga and meditation have the power to improve your intuitive ability so that you effortlessly realize what needs to be done, when and how, to yield positive results. It works. You only need to experience it yourself.
Remember, yoga is a continuous process. So keep practicing! The deeper you move into your yoga practice, the more profound are its benefits.
Ways to create a space of calm with yoga
When a rug is shaken just before a floor is cleaned, all the dust flies up into the air. Taking time away for some gentle yoga allows the dust to clear when one goes through any disturbing incidences. It’s a good time to soak up peace and bring the mind back to stillness. With yoga breathing techniques and some tips to calm your nerves, stay centered in the peaceful eye of the storm.
Practice yoga breathing techniques called pranayams Yoga breathing techniques, or pranayams, build the life-force energy in the body. A simple yoga breathing exercise called Bhastrika will help you smile and laugh off tension after a fight. The ‘Bellows’ yoga breath vigorously pushes the breath up and out through the lungs, building up the oxygen in the body. The result is a more calm and clear mind. It is best to learn pranayams from a certified teacher.
Precautions to note: Those with coronary ailments and glaucoma should perform yoga breaths slowly and gently. If there is pain during menstruation, one can also breathe slowly. Pregnant women should avoid doing bhastrika; they can take long, deep breaths instead. Keep a journal: Writing in a journal is a great way to calm the mind. Here is a place for expressing emotions, thoughts and creative ideas. Your journal will accept them all. Here is an exercise: Write what comes to your mind, freely without stopping yourself. In a journal, you can speak candidly about the issues you are facing and your experiences after yoga breathing. Write freely. You may find that a thought or idea develops itself into poetry or even a short story.
Find the creative muse with art or music Learn a musical instrument, or play some soothing music. Paint and draw while the music plays. Listening to positive, uplifting music can instantly transform a stormy atmosphere back to sunny skies. A research study investigated the effects of different types of music on flowering plants. The flowers grew twice as large after hearing three hours of soothing jazz and classical music a day, while plants exposed to rock music grew sickly.
Sit and sing in a space of yoga is a chance to surround yourself with good vibes.
Calm the mind with yoga wisdom, gives insight into why we fight. Some feeling came into you, an unpleasant feeling, and you said, ‘This should not come, it should not come!’. Two unique and special human beings will often have different expectations on the same subject. When there is resistance to an idea, often we tend to want to escape the situation, or become aggressive. When you resist, it persists. Just observe. See, ‘Oh!’ Go deep into it. Dropping the resistance to a new, differing idea can avoid a fight.
Just remembering to accept imperfections, we can agree with ourselves to allow room for imperfections, and for the fight. It is allowed to happen. And everything will be okay afterwards. Life is a movement from imperfection to perfection. A seed contains the tree but the seed has to cease to be a seed to become a tree. The seed is not perfect. The sapling is not perfect. So in life you can either see imperfection at every step, or you can see a movement from one perfection to another perfection.
In areas frequently affected by hurricanes and cyclones, beautiful palm trees dot the coastline. Here is something I call, "the swaying palm tree” exercise: Imagine yourself as a palm tree that sways in hurricane-force winds. The palm tree bends, but doesn’t break. With yoga and meditation, over time, the mind can stay as beautiful and pliable as a palm tree. So the next time a storm brews before a fight, with yoga, you’ll be able to smile through it. Things may bend, but they don’t have to break.
A last bit of yoga wisdom about love: “Love is not an emotion, it is our very existence,” says Sri Sri. “At any time you feel your love is shaken by some conflict, brush it aside. Be indifferent. Indifference takes you beyond the opposite of love and hate.”
With a little insight and yoga, we can put these wise words into practice. The next time the clouds threaten to darken before a fight, through yoga, we learn it is possible to smile through it. And that may be just enough to transform a fight into a hug.
Source: Marilyn Galan; theareofliving.com
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