Human beings are made up of three components — body, mind and soul. Corresponding to these are three needs that must be satisfied for a contented life: the physical need is health; psychological need is knowledge; and the spiritual need is inner peace. When all these are present, there is harmony.
Yoga, at the physical level, gives relief from countless ailments. The practice of the postures (asanas) strengthens the body and creates a feeling of well-being, prom the psychological viewpoint, Yoga sharpens the intellect and aids in concentrations.
It steadies the emotions and encourages a caring concern for others. The practice of breathing techniques (pranayam) calms the mind. In the realm of the spiritual, Yoga brings awareness and the ability to be still.
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Through meditation inner peace is experienced. Thus, Yoga is a practical philosophy involving every aspect of a person’s being. It teaches the evolution of the individual by the development of self-discipline and self-awareness.
Anyone irrespective of age, health, circumstance of life, and religion, can practice Yoga. Yoga helps to discipline our sense of power with the power of our own sense.
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There are numerous benefits of Yoga, including improved physical fitness, stress control, general wellbeing, mental clarity and greater self-understanding. People of all ages can do Yoga and it can also be adapted for people with disabilities or special needs.
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The asanas enhance muscle strength, coordination, flexibility and can help in the cure of backache. Regular practice of Yoga helps to keep our body fit, controls cholesterol level, reduces weight, normalizes blood Pressure and improves cardiovascular performance.
Apart from these, when people actively seek to reduce the stress in their lives by consoling-the mind, he body often works to heal itself. In this sense, Yoga can be seen not only as a way to get into shape on several levels, but also as a tool for self-healing.
In today’s world of information and inter-planetary voyages, most of the people find it difficult to devote time towards their health and fitness. This has led to drastic increase in health problems and health-related stress — the number one killer in modern days.
Unlike the early part of the century when infectious diseases were the leading killers, today’s health problems are mostly related to life style.
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Cardiovascular disease, heart disease, stroke and arteriosclerosis, chronic lung disease, diabetes mellitus, cirrhosis of the liver, suicide and several forms of cancer are all related to unhealthy lifestyle and behaviour.
At one point of time or the other, a doctor comes into the scene in every individual’s life. Yoga is simultaneously self-diagnosis, healing, prevention and maintenance.
Although it is not a replacement for one’s doctor, it has been developed and practised safely and successfully by millions of people who never had doctors, for thousands of years. With the help of Yoga, the doctor and the individual can both monitor the progress and the doctor will definitely learn from the individual how beneficial Yoga really is.
In the context of “self-diagnosis”, Yoga postures and exercises can be easily done and that too, with minimum possible exertion. The magic of yoga is that as we begin the basic stretches, we can immediately discover where our deficiencies are.
If we are really up to it then we should not be discouraged by this. Our body will adopt itself as perfectly as possible to all the things that we have done with it over the course of our entire life up until now.
With a modest amount of care and patience, yoga will trigger ours body’s natural adaptive and rejuvenating powers. Unless we use it we will lose it and if we start using it again, we can get most of it back. Some people even claim that Yoga gave them more vitality than they ever had in their lives. Even those who began later in life also benefited from its practice.
As per athletes or sportspersons, yoga can be a powerful enhancement in regular training exercises. Adding Yoga in a routine training programme, helps develop strength, flexibility, range of motion, concentration, and cardiovascular health and reduces stress, tension and tightness.
The most significant benefit of adding Yoga to a training programme is its effect on performance. It allows an athlete to train harder and at a higher level because range of motion is greater and the fear of injury has lessened. Some people think it is divine, others find it positively addictive and a powerfully effective substitute for negative habits.
Whether borne of inspiration or by trial and error, Yoga techniques substitute for the kinds of activities our early human ancestors must have done in the course of just living out their arboreal lives.
It is pretty safe to say that if we still hung around in the trees all our lives, like other primates, then 70 percent to 90 per cent of us would not end up suffering from chronic back, neck and head pain. Obviously, it takes for our body to tuck itself in here and fill out there. It has to grow others need to shrink this is why is important to drink lots of water and eat ample amounts of wholesome food along with regular moderate practice.
In challenging those muscles to remodel themselves, we are literally clearing out lots of junk from our tissues — metabolites generated by the exertion as well as toxins that have accumulated over the years because of poor circulation associated with sedentary life style.
The essence of Yoga is to make the process as efficient and enjoyable as possible. In the beginning, it is essential that we learn not only what the stretches are, but also how to stretch, how to relax, how to breathe, etc. Then we will really be ready to work out safely!
Yoga does not bring away the qualities of genuinely, wholesomeness, compassion, but rather instills them within us. It teaches us that love heals the giver at least as much as it does the recipient.
In addition, therein dwells the sacred power of community, union, harmony, Yoga, and free and fair civilization. It is our birthright to have access to this information. It is a sign of our wisdom if we use it, our enlightenment if we share it.
As we start practising these simple asanas, we will immediately find out what needs the most attention, while giving it the attention it calls for. The effects are immediate and the results keep becoming more apparent the longer and more often we engage in the pure self-indulgent healing art of Yoga.
Yoga is no less magical than the power of life itself. Unlocking life’s wonders are the miracle that this “harness” (Yoga means “yoke” in English) unleashes. Through this art, everyone can strap himself/ herself into the Divine and enjoy the ecstasy of freedom from pain and ignorance apart from other gracious rewards like longevity and happiness! It has taken time for us to wind ourselves up in a knot. Naturally, it takes time to unravel! If we are still breathing, it is never too soon, or too late to start.