Yoga: A Healthier Way to Lead Life
If you’re looking to get a spiritual break from your everyday routine and concentrate on creating harmony between your mind, body and soul; then yoga is the way to do it! The term was derived from the Sanskrit word called “Yuj” which literally translates to yoke or “to join” or “to unite”.
According to the ancient Sanskrit scriptures, Yoga prompts you to unite your consciousness with the universal consciousness and let your body establish a relationship with nature. After all, we are nature and all it's elements. The prime or the major objective behind Yoga is to achieve a state of self-realization and freedom (Kaivalya, the highest state of Samadhi) by working through and overcoming the pain and sufferings in your life.
Yoga has many parts to it and it is truly lifetimes of study to embrace the whole self and all it's parts. From beginners to seasoned Yoga veterans, everyone can rejuvenate their mind, body and soul with Yoga and Ayurveda Holistic Health. These sister sciences are for whole body health and wellness and nourish all the systems of the body. More on Ayurveda in the next blog post.
To make you further believe in the power of Yoga, let’s take a look at some of the physical and spiritual benefits of Yoga!
What are the Physical Benefits of Yoga?
Even though there’s still a lot of research being conducted into the health benefits of yoga, the preliminary evidence gathered so far is enough to prove the beneficial effects of yoga for your overall well-being. Let’s take a look at some of these health benefits in detail!
Improve Flexibility
Your body’s flexibility forms an integral component of your overall physical health. All grades of yoga intensity can help you improve your flexibility and slow down your aging process.
The culmination of deep breathing and slow movements during a yoga asana can help improve the blood flow to your muscles and warm them for better circulation. This will also help you to hold a pose for a longer period of time and build better muscle strength.
Begin improving your flexibility by practicing the Tree Pose every morning. Just balance your body on one foot while placing the other one above your knee at a 90-degree angle. Choose a spot in front of you and try to focus on it for one minute while trying to hold the pose.
Breathe Deep!
Relieve Your Back Pain
Our modern lifestyles have us hunching our backs and bringing our neck and head forward while working on a computer or using a phone for extended periods of time. Yoga can help you shift your body’s focus on flexibility and mobility and promote better alignment of tight muscles such as hamstrings and your spine.
A great yoga pose to help relieve your back pain is the cat-cow pose. To do this pose, first, you have to get on all your fours and place the palms of your hands directly underneath your shoulders. Your knees must be underneath your hips for the pose.
Then, draw your first breath and drop your stomach down towards the floor. Next, as you exhale, arch your spine by drawing your navel towards your spine.
Promote Cardiovascular Health
Practicing yoga regularly helps reduce inflammation across your body and reduces your stress levels. Some of the factors that contribute to heart diseases are - obesity, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, etc.
These factors can be addressed by yoga to help improve the functioning of your cardiovascular system. The downward dog pose has proven to be successful at achieving this feat.
Improve Your Sleep Cycle
Yoga significantly improves how quickly you fall asleep and how deep it is. Regular yoga practice has a calming effect on your mind and also helps relieve the stress and anxiety you might be feeling.
If you too want to regulate your sleep cycle, then establishing a bedtime routine can help your body get ready for bed. You must definitely try including the Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose to your bedtime yoga routine and watch it work its magic!
What are the Spiritual Benefits of Yoga?
Millions of people worldwide practice yoga not just for its physical benefits but for its spiritual benefits too. Let’s take a look at some of the ways in which practicing yoga makes your mind stronger, calmer, and helps you break the clutter of your busy modern life!
Heal Your Mind and Your Body
As per the research conducted by Mayo Clinic, yoga helps elevate your mood and relieve your anxiety and stress. It also helps protect your body against chronic mental illnesses such as insomnia, depression, and anxiety.
In fact, due to the positive effect of yoga on your mind and body, doctors have also begun considering it as a complementary medicine to alleviate the stress and anxiety in patients.
Yoga doesn’t just promote a higher standard of self-care but also hones your inner spiritual awareness. It helps awaken your bodily senses and transforms you into a healthier body on the inside and outside.
Improve Focus
Yoga helps you connect with your body with every breath. It has an amazing balancing effect on your central nervous system because of deep breathing. It is a healthy detoxifying practice that helps improvise the blood supply to your vital organs and keeps you anchored in the moment.
Ultimately, this helps you create a space in your mind wherein you’re away from all the distractions and can focus entirely on your self-awareness, balance and harmony.
A Healthy Reminder of Compassion
Yoga isn’t just limited to a yoga studio or a yoga mat. If you have a passion to learn yoga, then you must extend it to your everyday life. It is a healthier way to lead your life with the primary focus of connecting with your inner consciousness, focusing your mind, discovering inner peace, and letting go of your sufferings.
The Bottom Line
The scientific research results about the spiritual and health benefits of yoga are surely promising. The important thing to note here is that yoga is not just restricted to physical movements, it is a way of leading life through a culmination of meditation techniques, breath practices, self-care and physical activities.
So, if you want to find the yoga modality that works the best for you, then let Lynn @yogamefit help you through this journey!