Yoga is often misunderstood as either a mystical religious practice or a physical one. When you trap yoga into these two categories, you can only perceive a limited number of benefits it offers. At the same time, since yoga is not directly tied to any religion, one can pick and choose aspects that resonate primarily with them. That's the positive side of yoga. You can take what works for you without buying into the entire idea.
Let's look at commonly agreed-upon benefits of yoga to get a practical understanding of what yoga is:
The yogic approach to physical fitness is through postures, pranayama and meditation. This provides a comprehensive approach where the mind and body are considered and not just one or the other. The benefits range from physical to mental because of the mind-body connection emphasized in yoga. Here are some all-round benefits of yoga:
Yoga has elements of a cardio workout. San salutations and flow styles of yoga are a great way to lose those extra pounds and lean out the muscles. The added benefit of cultivated mindfulness makes a practitioner aware of their diet. Often people forget that healthy weight loss is not about spending hours at the gym or starving to death. There needs to be a balance when it comes to approaching weight loss. Rapid weight loss through forceful dieting can cause more damage than good in the body. Yoga promotes a sense of awareness in the body. So, the practitioner can gently start altering habits and ease their way into a healthy lifestyle.
Researchers have found that even a few minutes of yoga daily can relieve stress. When you practice yoga, you focus on the here and now. So, it is a great way to leave behind the troubles and worries of your day. We tend to hold tension in our muscles, and yoga poses are designed to gently relieve the tension without adding more strain to your body.
We live in a generation where we depend on pills for everything. A strong immune system is key to fighting-off seasonal diseases that plague most of society. Yoga poses focus on strengthening and improving internal organs, so your immune system gets a boost when you practice asanas.
Instead of opting for energy drinks known to be very harmful to the body, you can hit the mat and do some energizing poses. Energy harnessed through yoga poses is natural and healthy for you.
AYM is one of the oldest yoga schools in Rishikesh. It offers daily drop-in classes, yoga retreat and yoga teacher training for practitioners of al levels.
