Calm down with yoga

The lives of most individuals are hectic, and take a lot away from the mental and physical reserves of a person. The everyday life of any particular working professional is, more often than not, frantic in pace.

In such a situation, it is not uncommon for people to feel the heat of the strains of life, both at the physical and the mental levels. The digestive system of the human body is prone to malfunctioning when subjected to irregular eating traits. The respiratory system, the heart as well as the different sections of the brain are also been proven to be common preys of a disoriented, excessively speedy lifestyle.

In addition to these potential physical health hazards, considerable mental disturbances and tensions are also often at work too. These disturbances also call of delicate yet effective remedial measures.

In the face of the challenges people face, both physically and mentally, there has been an upsurge in the tendency of depending on medicines. While chemical medications can provide quick-fix solutions, they can seldom be the long-term answers to the problems at hand. Many of these medicines also have adverse side effects.

In such a scenario, yoga has been widely recommended as an ideal, and much better, alternative to chemical medications. The yoga poses (asanas) provide for long-term health benefits. They are ideal for relaxation, attaining inner peace and draining out the mental disturbances that one might have. The different asanas, poses and forms of yoga are taught at many classes all round the world, along with lessons on chanting, meditation and breathing exercises.

Yoga styles are also slightly challenging - adding their attraction in the eyes of youngsters and other beginners in this field.

The health benefits of the different forms of yoga, if practiced properly, are extremely large. Physical as well as mental betterment can be ensured via yoga. Yoga asanas have the core objective of uniting the body, spirit and the mind of the individuals. This delivers considerable advantages to the latter. Some of the most distinct benefits of yoga to individuals are:

i) The mental and physical stress levels can be brought down. Individuals can now be more relaxed and at their ease,
ii) Physical strength, longevity, power and stamina are given a boost. The human body also retains its flexibility via yoga,
iii) Control over one' emotions and actions is an absolute must in today's world. That, along with enhanced powers of concentration, are crucial advantages of practicing yoga techniques,
iv) Individuals can recover from any injury that they might sustain more quickly, via yoga. Recuperation with older injuries is also facilitated by yoga forms,
v) Yoga helps people to think clearly, logically and with vision. Endurance levels are also enhanced, and yoga students can work through the pain barrier,
vi) The immune system of the human body functions more smoothly and efficiently if yoga poses are practiced on a regular basis,
vii) Yoga students generally experience an improvement in their skin quality. Glowing, healthy skins can be acquired by performing yoga poses. The tone of the body muscles are improved, and the overall alignment of the body posture is also taken care of in yoga,
viii) All the organs of the human body need to function efficiently and perfectly in sync with each other. This is precisely what is guaranteed for in the yoga steps,
ix) The practice of yoga lends individuals a positive outlook on the overall life around him/her. They also can experience a sense of inner calm and mental peace,
x) The physical parts of the body as well as the mind attain the desirable levels of harmony via yoga. A perfect balance between successful work-life and equilibrium of mental peace can be acquired via these techniques too.

The different asanas of yoga are aimed at a comprehensive revitalization and rejuvenation of the human body. Many potential illnesses can be avoided by practicing yoga techniques. Mental peace can also be ensured via these methods. Yoga forms are relaxing, challenging in their own way, and fun besides being therapeutic in nature, thereby providing long term medical benefits to individuals.

Learn more about Yoga

Ashtanga

Ashtanga means the eight limbs, which are combined to form Yoga exercises and aim at improving discipline, self conduct and improving overall health.

The eight limbs are:

Yama, The first limb, focuses on self control, attitude and behavior in general. Focuses on treating others as you would want to be treated. There are 5 yamas

%u2022 Ahimsa which means nonviolence, not treat anyone in a hurtful manner, being considerate of others, being friendly and kind.

%u2022 Satya which means the truth, which also means if speaking the truth is going to be harmful to someone then its better not to say it.

%u2022 Asteya which basically means not to steal, to live within our means and not take something which doesn't belong to us.

%u2022 Brahmacharya, used more in the sense to abstinence, and more so in a sexual context.

%u2022 Aparigraha which is just taking what is necessary and not be greedy.

Niyama, this is the second limb and focuses on rules which are more intimate and personal, its more about how we treat ourselves.

%u2022 Saucha, which means cleanliness. This cleanliness is not only from the outside but also our inner thoughts it emphasizes on our clarity of mind and cleanliness of the body
%u2022 Samtosa, is a feeling of being happy and content with what we have and not getting depressed if we don't get something. Its means not going into extremes of killing oneself and realizing that everything that happens has a reason and is for the best and accepting life as it comes to us. Samtosa means being content with what we have as opposed to being unhappy with what we don't.
%u2022 Tapas, is about the fitness of the body and cleansing it. Paying attention to our eating habits, when we eat, the body posture, breathing. Proper use of Tapas, helps in avoiding heart diseases and discipline the eating
%u2022 Svadhyaya, means to remove any destructive tendencies we may have. It means getting to know oneself closely by meditation. It also encourages reading of ancient texts and repeating the mantras
%u2022 Isvarapranidhana, means being answerable to God for all our actions and deeds. It is to believe that the best has been done on our part to attain certain things and its time to leave things to God.

Asnas, this is the third limb and focuses on postures, which provide comfort for during praying and meditation. Asnas are not static and require a lot of movements which provides mental balance between being still and moving. Asnas help making the body more adaptive in different situations and knows exactly how our body will react in different situations. Asnas help in strengthening body posture also bring the mind to peace and gets rid of any restlessness.

Pranayama, is the fourth limb which means control on our breathing and is one of the most important things in practicing yoga. Pranauyama is used with the asnas to achieve the desired results. Breathing exercises generally give us control to understand our emotions, and our mind

Pratyahara, this is the fifth limb and focuses on resistance and to detach ourselves from everything and concentrate internally within ourselves. It is giving up on all temptations and reflecting on ourselves. This stage would normally go hand in hand with meditation because while meditation the mind is extremely focused.

Dharana, This is the sixth limb and focuses on concentrating very hard and holding it without letting any other thoughts to come to the mind. This is the most challenging part of yoga, because at this time you are trying to control the mind and remove all thoughts from the mind, and just concentrating on one thing.

Dhyana, the seventh limb, focuses on contemplation. This stage as well is concentration but the difference is that the mind is focusing on one thing and moving in one direction. Although. It probably takes a lot to reach this stage however the key is to keep trying

Samadhi, this is the eighth limb. When we are so involved in something that the mind doesn't think of anything else, we can say that we have reached Samadhi. This is one of the most fulfilling stages, we are fully conscious and completely absorbed in one thing that at this stage controlling the mind is not even needed.

You may want to buy some discount yoga mats and accessories before you start.

This concludes the eight limbs of yoga and while practicing yoga its important to follow the sequence to be able to achieve fulfillment of body and soul. It is important to have a good understanding of the various Ashtangas, and realize these steps go hand in hand.