What is Yoga?

What is Yoga

Yoga is a meditative practice, meant to discipline and streamline the mind and body into harmony, resulting in internal peace. It originated in India and has countless types ranging from basic exercises to more complicated practices centered at breathing. It dates back to approximately the 5^th and 6^th century BC, the time when the Sramana and Ascetic movements were going. Some accounts also suggest that yoga is a Pre-Vedic period tradition as it has been mentioned in the book traditional Vedic and Sanskrit Hymns called the Rigveda. It is one of the few ancient practices that have sustained their popularity over the years and has become widely practiced throughout the world by people with all sorts of objectives in mind ranging from fitness to mindfulness to inner peace and relief from psychological issues such as anxiety and depression.

Health, Wellness and Fitness Benefits

Yoga is mostly practiced to harmonize the mind, soul and body to remove inconsistencies that prevent human beings from living a holistic and fulfilling life. It is this harmony in which all the health and wellness benefits of yoga are rooted.

Firstly, yoga increases the immunity of body cells. Practicing basic yoga on a daily basis helps the body stay safe from diseases as the body remains active. This happens as a result of the basic functions of breathing and movement getting better, resulting in long term internal benefits to the body. As your breath and movements are harmonized, it has a lasting impact on body cells, improving their strength and immunity.

Secondly, it relieves joint and muscle pains. Some specific yoga poses are meant to be practiced regularly if you experience pains in knee joints, neck, pelvic region and spinal cord etc. The specific movements of those body parts stimulate their smooth functioning thereby minimizing pains that result as consistent inactivity.

Moreover, yoga is known to relieve tension and anxiety, helping you to have a better state of mind, a relaxed temperament and the ability to focus better. The controlled breathing exercises of yoga are targeted at defeating issues stemming out of the mind hampering your ability to reach your full potential. A relaxed and contented mind is essential for general well-being, which can be achieved with yoga.

Basic Practice

Basic yoga practices that can be conveniently done at home include some of the breathing exercises, such as Pranayama and Kapal Bhati. The former is a beginner exercise which involves three-part breathing while the latter involves breathing alternately from each nostril. Furthermore, the basic meditative yoga includes sitting upright on the floor or any flat surface, with legs folded in each other and the palms resting open on the knees. With eyes closed, try and focus on one point and practice holding your concentration there. This is the very basic practice from which other advanced practices are derived. Meditative practices are also called “dhyaan” in the local language. Some exercises to improve physical fitness include flexibility exercises such as creating a large zero in the air with your legs without bending them, and lying on your stomach while lifting your upper half with legs straight and arms balanced on the surface without bending. Check out Amazon for Books on Yoga.

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