As I sat down to write about benefits of yoga, one word that immediately came into my mind was “Blessing “
Yoga is a blessing from divine to humanity for the entirety of body, mind and soul.
We as human beings always doubt the efficacy of a practice unless we experience it personally or listen from someone very close or trustworthy.
I have been blessed with wonderful teachers, courses and experiences in my Yoga journey. The biggest learning for me has been that Yoga needs to get inculcated as a daily habit - like brushing teeth, or taking a bath.
For that, following are the tricks to experience and to fall in love with Yoga, so that you can feel it’s wonderful benefits 1. Practice Yoga in synchronization with breath. 2. Try to do Yogasana with closed eyes. Practicing yoga with closed eyes cuts you from outside world . At that very moment only you and your body exists. So what are the blessings that Yoga endows on a practitioner? Here is a summary of those that I have experienced:
First, Yoga builds focus health of internal organs In the world of exercises for muscle building, Yoga starts from the premise that the body is an integrated system of organs, breath, thoughts, movement and circulation.
There is a range of Yogasanas for internal organs. Here are a few examples - Manduk Asana: For better pancreatic function. Greatly benefits those suffering from diabetes - Ardh Matseyender Asana: Like any twisting posture, this asana is especially beneficial for massaging the kidneys - Singh Asana – This asana where one roars like a lion posing on all fours is meant to direct the wind inhaled to massage the thyroid glands
Second, Yoga builds flexibility Urban lifestyle leads to much lesser physical movement for daily chores. Most of our time is spent travelling in cars, sitting on work desks or lying down to sleep. So many muscles in the body go unused. The result is a feeling of lethargy because energy is not able to flow freely.
Yoga teaches focus on each minor and major muscle to regain flexibility. Regular practice of Yoga stretches will lead to toning all muscles including limbs, shoulder, neck, stomach, abdominal, finger, toe, ankle, nose, ear, eye – all of them. Stretches lead to better circulation in the muscle, which allows energy to flow efficiently. One definitely feels more energetic and prepared to do far more physical and mental work.
A few Asanas like Surya Namaskar: A combination of 12 stretches that make for a complete workout of the body should be practiced on a daily basis.
Third, Yoga calms the mind Yoga practice should actually start with 5-10 mins of Pranayam, move to movement/ flexibility and end with Pranayam too. Pranayam is made of Pran (breath) and Vyayam (exercise). The deepest corners of the body (like nerve endings) get refreshed as fresh breathe passes through them with Pranayam
Fourth, Yoga balances your lifestyle With regular practice of Yoga, your body automatically yearns for simple food. Heavy meals loose their attractiveness. The body signals you to balance the input you give it in terms of thoughts and meals.
Its my promise that once you start living with Yoga, you will never be able to leave it! Om Shanti Rashmi Gaur Yoga Practitioner & Co-founder - Paushtaa