What is yoga?
Yoga is the science of right living and should therefore be incorporated into daily life. It works on all aspects of our lives: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Yoga means union. The root of the word is the Sanskrit word yuj, meaning to join.
At the spiritual level, this union means the union of individual consciousness with universal consciousness. At the practical level, yoga is a means of balancing and harmonizing the body, mind, and emotions. This union is achieved through the practice of asanas, pranayama, mudras, bandhas, shatkarmas, and meditation. So yoga is both a way of life and an ultimate goal in itself.
Yoga first benefits the external body (physical body), which is a practical and familiar starting place for most people. When imbalance is experienced at this level, the organs, muscles, and nerves do not work in harmony, but rather they work in opposition to each other.
After the physical body, yoga works on the mental and emotional levels. Many people suffer from a number of mental ailments as a result of the stress and interactions of everyday life. Yoga may not provide an immediate cure, but it is a proven method to combat them.
In the last century, Hatha Yoga (which is just one type of yoga) became very popular. But awareness about the true meaning and complete knowledge of yoga is now increasing steadily.
Benefits of Yoga in Daily Life
Yoga gives everything a person wants related to his health. Weight loss, a strong and flexible body, beautiful glowing skin, peaceful mind, good health, etc.
1. Holistic Health
When you are perfectly healthy, you are not only physically healthy but also mentally and emotionally healthy. Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar says, “Health does not mean the absence of disease. It is the dynamism of life that shows how full of joy, love, and energy you are.” There are innumerable benefits to a regular practitioner. Some of them are as follows.
- Health benefits
- Mental strength
- Physical strength
- Body cleansing
2. Weight loss
Practicing Surya Namaskar and Kapalabhati Pranayama helps reduce body weight. Additionally, regular yoga practice helps in improving awareness about when and how much food to eat. This helps in controlling weight.
3. Relief from anxiety
A few minutes of yoga throughout the day can help relieve the worries of the day, not only physical but also mental worries. Yogasanas, pranayama, and meditation are effective stress relievers. You can experience how yoga helps the body get rid of stress and harmful substances in the Sri Sri Yoga Level 2 program.
4. Inner peace
In search of peace, people like to roam around peaceful, beautiful, and natural places. When he realizes that this peace is within him, which he can experience by meditating, then there is nothing like it. Yoga and meditation are the best ways to calm a person’s anxious mind.
5. Improvement in immunity
A person is made up of body, mind, and soul combined. Any irregularity in the body affects the mind. Frustration and fatigue in the mind are the cause of disease in the body. Asanas strengthen the muscles. Pranayama and meditation remove stress, and as a result, immunity improves.
6. Increase in awareness
The mind keeps wandering in the past and future. A person’s mind experiences awareness only in the present moment. A person feels stress-free due to awareness. Yoga and pranayama bring the mind to the present moment, which makes the person happy and focused towards the goal.
7. Improvement in relationships
A mind that is worry-free, happy, and satisfied maintains good relationships. Yoga and meditation give happiness and peace to the mind. Gives the ability to build beautiful relationships with loved ones.
8. Increase in energy
Do you feel completely tired at the end of the day? A few minutes of yoga every day fills you with freshness and energy throughout the day. 10 minutes of online guided meditation fills you with freshness and energy even on the busiest of days.
9. Flexible body
Regular practice of yoga makes the body strong and flexible, which gives relief from many types of diseases.
10. Intuition
Yoga and meditation give a feeling of intuition, which increases our discretion. Discretion increases the ability to make decisions and increases the efficiency to make the work successful. Therefore, practice yoga regularly.
Yoga practice gives countless benefits to the body and mind, although it is not a substitute for medicine. It is necessary that you learn and practice yoga under the guidance of a Sri Sri Yoga teacher. In case of any medical condition, do yoga under the guidance of a doctor and Sri Sri Yoga teacher.