Yoga for inner well-being!
Yoga is an art and science of living
Nowadays we can see people doing yoga everywhere. You can find yoga ashrams and studios in each corner of the street. Some people do it for fun and some people do it for finding their life quest. So, what is Yoga? Is yoga all about twisting or bending your body to do impossible postures or something else?
Yoga is more than that. It is a scientifically proven technology which helps us to know our own body. Yoga means union, it unites our body, mind and soul and helps us to lead a better life. Yoga has nothing to do with any particular religion. As the scientists use the science and technology for the external well-being, the yogis (Adi Yogi) brought yoga as a technology to improve our inner well-being.
Sometimes people try to compare yoga practice with gym exercise. We must understand that gym exercise only helps us to grow our body in terms of physical well-being. But, Yoga helps us to grow physically and mentally. Yoga can just be used as a practice to cure some diseases, can also be used as a tool to find our inner peace and happiness. Moreover, we can use this yoga as a way to climb up the highest possibility within our self.
When I started practicing yoga, I was so much excited about yoga and yoga postures. I tried to practise difficult postures and was in a hurry to learn quickly. Then my yoga teacher told me that “Sthiram Sukham Asanam”. It means to practise a posture which can be comfortable, firm and you can learn steadily. Yoga is not made to learn in a hurry.
Asanas are only a part of Yoga. A yoga consists of eight limbs namely Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi. These eight steps help us to unite our body and mind. But, unfortunately, we believe that asanas are the whole of yoga. Yoga is a tool to find ultimate expression to life.
There are five principles of yoga which helps to find the ultimate expression of life.
Proper Exercise: Asanas help us to rejuvenate our whole body. It benefits us in a different ways starting from effective blood circulation to bringing flexibility in muscles.
Proper Breathing: Pranayama helps us to revitalize our body and mind. Moreover, it also helps us to fight depression, stress and anxiety.
Proper Relaxation: Deep relaxation helps to re-energize our body and mind on three levels i.e. physical, mental and spiritual level. It helps to keep our engine from overheating.
Proper Diet: The yogic attitude to food is eat to live, not live to eat. A proper diet plays a crucial role to gain maximum nutrients and provides a positive effect on our body and mind.
Positive Thinking and Meditation: This is a key to peace of mind. Regular meditation helps us to calm the monkey mind and to align the mental well-being. Source: (Sivananda Yoga)
That is the reason I always say, “Yoga Heals”. It not only helps us to find our inner well-being but also helps to save the extra cost we usually incur for medical treatment due to stressful life and lifestyle diseases.
“Yoga teaches you how to listen to your body”-Mariel Hemingway
