Know More About Yoga And Its Benefits

To get the benefit of Yoga, it is better to practice Asanas on an empty stomach

What is yoga?

Yoga is derived from the sanskrit root word “Yuj” which means union. Yoga is union of body, breath and mind. It can also be a union of lower self with higher self. The wandering mind is anchored through breath to bring this union. Movement as asana is done within the capacity of one’s breath.

Patanjali explains yoga with eight limbs. The eight limbs include the preludes yama and niyama, which are practices towards society and to oneself. Asana, pranayama and Pratyahara are disciplines practiced bodily outwards whereas dharana, dhyana and samadhi are inner disciplines.

What is the purpose of yoga?

The economy driven world is demanding a lot from human beings. There is a rat race in every sect of work exposing one to a lot of stress. There is a lot of specialised work and super specialised skills which fragments the human mind. With these challenges, if one balances his life and brings integration by working with inner harmony, there will be peace within instead of conflict. So practising yoga brings in integrative perception and union.

For some, yoga is practised as a physical discipline or physical work out. For some yoga is sought for therapeutical reasons. For others, it is for their inner work. Whatever be the reason, if one starts practising yoga regularly, it will address many layers of one’s being and unfolds the inner path for transformation.

Yoga needs to be practised as a part of one’s daily routine. Day to day action, if done mindfully, becomes meditative. But one should connect the activity to his range of breath. For example, if one inhales for a count of three and exhales for a count of three (Count as 1001,1002 etc) it’s established as the person’s range of breath. If one brings awareness to breath, the action is done with mindfulness.

Are there any do’s and don’ts for practising yoga?

Yoga brings not only flexibility to the body but also flexibility in the mind and thereby the thoughts.

· To get the benefit of Yoga, it is better to practice Asanas on an empty stomach. So, it should be done 3 hours after a meal and one and half hours after any snack and an hour after a beverage.

· Preferably yoga is to be done in the morning. Evening practices of yoga should only be exhalation based relaxing postures.

· Yoga practise balances the autonomic nervous system, brings in parasympathetic effect on the system. Any other exercise including walking brings up the effect of sympathetic nervous system. So if one wants to practise Yoga, there must be at least two-three hours of interval between the two. It is good if one practices Yoga in the morning and other exercises in the early evening.

· It is better to do Asana practise in a space where there is controlled temperature, around 26 degree centigrade is preferred.

Yoga should be a way of life and not just an activity. Practicing yoga regularly fine tunes the body, breath and mind. One becomes flexible and balanced in his physical body, optimum and efficient in their breathing, calm and clear in their mind.