When people hear the term yoga, few consider it a form of meditation and few as a form of exercise. Well, both are not wrong, both assumptions while being right it’s also incomplete.
So what is Yoga?
Yoga, when defined, can be considered as a practice of finding discipline, a discipline for your body and mind.
Aligning your mental peace to your physical health.
It has been a part of Indian culture for more than 5000 years ago and holds a very strong traditional value with it.
Though Yoga itself is not a religious practice, it does hold a certain spiritual prospect and have its roots in Hindu culture.
Yoga is now found all around the world and is practiced by people of all nationalities, cultures, and religions.
What do I need for doing Yoga?
The true simplicity Yoga has is the reason it got its place in History.
To practice, all you need is a place where you are confident you can relax and have enough space for you to move freely.
Dress code can be anything that you are comfortable in and can stretch.
Yoga has a whole section allotted to it with its Yoga mat and Yoga tracksuit, Meditation charts, and posters, though these things are designed for the modern population to feel more comfortable while they perform Yoga, it not compulsory to have these.
Yoga, as it follows simplicity, requires nothing but true dedication.
What do I need to learn about Indian culture or Hindu religion to follow Yoga?
Yoga does get its roots from Indian history and have an impact from Hindu culture, it’s not a religious practice.
It’s not which God’s name you chant when you meditate that impacts the outcome or if you have Indian Gods and Goddess in your home or not.
The mere concept of discipline needs to be there.
Though understand the language does help in at least a couple of keywords like “Asana” which means posture. This lingo will help you coordinate with your instructor better.
What Yoga can do for me?
As said earlier, Yoga s a form of discipline and with the disciple, a lifestyle can be built.
So the real question is what all you can get from including Yoga into your life –
- Mental Health –
Meditation is the first thing what comes in people’s mind when they hear Yoga and / or mental health.
Meditation is a part of practicing Yoga which brings in the mental Peace as it was understood by our ancestors that mental health is as important as physical health.
The necessity of maintaining mental health is what we miss out when we plan our health goals but with Yoga, it makes sure that your health is balanced.
A simple breathing exercise when done correctly can bring in such peace that can’t be matched with complex methods.
The main focus of Meditation is to make sure that the person’s mind is decluttered and the person can establish their focus on what’s needed, themselves.
In the process of finding peace and relaxing your mind, you also get your body ready to start working towards your physical health.
- Physical health –
When people see other people doing all sorts of poses during Yoga, they often get worried about how it can be done or even get the impression that it’s not for them.
Yoga is not an inborn talent and its not something a person can learn easily.
As it’s said it’s a discipline.
It is learned with the determination and focus any discipline would require.
With Yoga you don’t learn to lift heavy weight or get an idol physique, it is more about letting your body go free.
It helps a person in unlocking their body and finds the strength hidden within.
When Yoga is practiced regularly, a person can start seeing the change in their body. They might not lose weight but they do lose the problem that weight gave them.
They would find their bodies to be more open and relaxed and the day to day activities which once gave them back pain or sprain, was much easier to perform.
Yoga helps your body to gain strength and realize its true potential.
What are the everlasting effects of Yoga in one’s life?
Adding the discipline of Yoga in life is not easy and takes years, so once you have developed this practice it’s not easy to leave.
Yoga becomes a part of your life, a way to help you think and a way to help get past your day and a way for you to find your peace.
You might miss the regular physical practice but the impact Yoga has on your mental health is unavoidable and irreversible.
In what way Yoga can help me?
- Increasing Strength –
Yoga trains your body to be stronger and work on your physical strength.
It can help you strengthen your muscles and increase your stamina.
- Improves your Lungs health –
During meditation, you work on your breathing and during our physical exercise as you maintain the same rhyme in the breath.
This constant and calm breathing works as a workout for your lungs.
- Stress reduction –
Meditation is the first thing anyone suggests if a person has stress or anxiety, as during yoga you align your body to and mind and helps your clam.
A calm mind can eventually lead to managing your blood pressure, help with anxiety and also help in stress reduction in general.
- Increases Flexibility –
As you start the following Yoga regularly and start practicing different Asians, you would realize a hike in your flexibility.
These Asaana help your body gain flexibility at a gradual pace without causing any kind of excessive stress to your body.
Yoga impacts both your physical and mental health and if done on a regular pace you can see it impacting not only your health but also your habits like changes in your eating habits and even helps your sleep better. Adding yoga into your life can mean accepting that you are ready to change your life for better.
Vivek Roy is an enthusiastic Yoga blogger and Traveller from India. He has done 200 hours yoga teacher training in India. He loves to travel and share the knowledge of yoga around the world. For more information about him visit his website Sattva Yoga Academy.
Leave a Reply