Experience of regular practice of yoga

Believe it or not, Yoga is much more than an ancient form of discipline that stems from India. Today, it has spread amongst various cultures and countries and has changed the lives of thousands of people, including mine. The ‘Happy Yogi’ is not just a phrase; it is an actual, existing entity and all of us have the ability to become one. It is believed that as a child, everyone was familiar with the asanas (poses) of Yoga, but as we grow up we forget about it and hence, need to be taught again.
Practicing Yoga on a daily basis does not only bring unbelievable changes to our body but it also cleanses our mind. I was always aware of the benefits of Yoga but the lazy devil in me always took over and I never really got to practicing it until Art of Living. Being a little on the heavier side, I always thought that my body is not flexible enough to do the various poses of Yoga and this is a myth that many of us have. Yoga depends on flexibility, yes but it is also based on the state of mind. Yoga is a confidence booster and allows us to control our body and mind instead of the other way round.
The Surya Namaskar (Sun salutations) is considered to be one of the best forms of Yoga because it consists of excellent postures that are very beneficial. Doing a particular number of rounds of Surya Namaskar daily brought about a change in my health; reduced weight, purified mind and a healthy soul. Yoga can be tiring at first, but after I gave myself that initial lift, it inculcated itself as a part of my routine.
Yoga has cured many ailments of the knee, spine, hands etc. In my case, it helped me get over my almost-insomnia type condition. Due to the body movements, I could fall asleep easily instead of my regular habit of staying up till 3-4 am. Mainly, it washed over my whole body and I felt calmer and happier than before. At a point, when my leg was injured due to a fall, it was due to Sudarshan Kriya, Yoga and Meditation that I could move it again.
Yoga brings with itself complete peace of mind and subtlety. A number of studies and research theories by excellent universities prove that Yoga compliments science, personal experience proves that Yoga can change our whole lifestyle and our Master is the proof that Yoga is not an art or performing asanas, but it is a way of life.

Yoga and the gym workout

       

Doing yoga or hitting the gym - too difficult a choice to make? Let's make things easier and look at both not as rivals but close allies. Yes, yoga can be a perfect complement to your body workout and actually add to the benefits you derive from it.

The best part is, you can continue with your daily workout routine just the way it is now and simply add a few minutes of yoga practice to it for better results.

Yoga and gym workouts both have their own set of benefits and you need to decide what you require for your body. Yoga asanas or postures are slow graceful controlled movements while gym workouts involve rapid movements with force. Your muscles are strengthened from deep within in a systematic manner that improves your muscular endurance. In gym workouts the tension on your muscles increases a lot due to the forceful movements. Since yoga asanas or workouts are done in a slow systematic and controlled manner they prevent any kind of injury. Whereas in the gym workouts there is a greater risk of injury and muscle strain due to the rapid and forceful movements. If your weight gain is due to stress and you are trying to lose weight then yoga is a preferable option as it reduces your stress to a great extent and that in turn reduces your appetite. So you consume lesser calories. Gym workouts also help to reduce stress but not as much as yoga so your appetite is not reduced as much and in some cases since you strain yourself so much in your gym you actually tend to eat more and consume more calories. Yoga does not tire you out but helps you to relax totally and gets rid of your stress fully so you feel more at peace with yourself and others and you feel more energetic and refreshed after a yoga session. Gym workouts drain a lot of your energy so you feel exhausted after your gym sessions and your body aches due to the excessive strain on your muscles. 

How To Do SuryaNamaskar (Sun Salutation)

- You don't need to be doing yoga regularly in order to practice the Surya Namaskar. If performed correctly, this exercise does not strain or cause injury. If performed in the morning, it relieves stiffness, revitalises your body and refreshes the mind. Do it during the day and it will instantly boost you up, practice it after sundown and it helps you unwind.

- Not only does the Surya Namaskar give you a great stretch and keep you fit physically (it is extremely beneficial for your joints, ligaments and improves flexibility and posture), but is also does wonders for your mental and emotional health.

- Surya Namaskar stimulates almost every system in your body - the cardiovascular system because it keeps the heart strong and, the digestive system as well as the nervous system.

- It also makes endocrinal glands like the thyroid, parathyroid and pituitary glands, function normally.

- Practising the Surya Namaskar regularly is also known to ease stress and give you peace of mind besides increasing your levels of concentration.

- If you have trouble sleeping at night, the Surya Namaskar will help you fall asleep without using any external stimulants.

Few Benefits of Yoga

Weight loss, a strong and flexible body, glowing beautiful skin, peaceful mind, good health – whatever you may be looking for, yoga has it on offer. However, very often, yoga is only partially understood as being limited to asanas (yoga poses). As such, its benefits are only perceived to be at the body level and we fail to realize the immense benefits yoga offers in uniting the body, mind and breath. When you are in harmony, the journey through life is calmer, happier and more fulfilling. 

With all this and much more to offer, the benefits of yoga are felt in a profound yet subtle manner. Here, we look at the top 10 benefits of regular yoga practice. 

• Pulse rate decreases
• Respiratory rate decreases
• Blood Pressure decreases (of special significance for hyporeactors)
• Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) increases
• EEG - alpha waves increase (theta, delta, and beta waves also increase during various stages of meditation)
• EMG activity decreases
• Cardiovascular efficiency increases
• Respiratory efficiency increases
• Gastrointestinal function normalizes
• Endocrine function normalizes
• Excretory functions improve
• Breath-holding time increases
• Joint range of motion increase
• Grip strength increases
• Eye-hand coordination improves
• Dexterity skills improve
• Reaction time improves
• Posture improves
• Strength and resiliency increase
• Endurance increases
• Energy level increases
• Weight normalizes
• Sleep improves
• Immunity increases
• Pain decreases
• Steadiness improves
• Depth perception improves
• Balance improves
• Integrated functioning of body parts improves
• Somatic and kinesthetic awareness increase
• Mood improves and subjective well-being increases
• Self-acceptance and self-actualization increase
• Social adjustment increases
• Anxiety and Depression decrease
• Hostility decreases
• Concentration improves
• Memory improves
• Attention improves
• Learning efficiency improves
• Mood improves
• Self-actualization increase
• Social skills increases
• Well-being increases
• Somatic and kinesthetic awareness increase
• Self-acceptance increase
• Attention improves
• Concentration improves
• Memory improves
• Learning efficiency improves
• Symbol coding improves
• Depth perception improves
• Flicker fusion frequency improves
• Glucose decreases
• Sodium decreases
• Total cholesterol decreases
• Triglycerides decrease
• HDL cholesterol increases
• LDL cholesterol decreases
• VLDL cholesterol decreases
• Cholinesterase increases
• Catecholamines decrease
• ATPase increases
• Hematocrit increases
• Hemoglobin increases
• Lymphocyte count increases
• Total white blood cell count decreases
• Thyroxin increases
• Vitamin C increases
• Total serum protein increases

Yoga For Backache

Yoga is an excellent way to prevent and cure back pain. Yoga works on improving the elasticity of the muscle & strengthens the muscles thereby improving the condition of the spine in totality.

Stiffness in the body & lack of movement makes the muscles rigid due to which even the slightest movement often leads to a back injury or perpetual back pain. 

Yoga softly stretches the muscles, soothes the nerves, enhances blood circulation & strengthens the muscles as well.

The video below by the Art of Living Foundation on yoga will help you to improve your backache.

How To Improve Yoga Practice

Here are some of the tips that improve your daily yoga practice: 

1) Use the Yogic smile meter. Do Yoga with a sense of joy. When you overdo a stretch, smile will be the first thing to vanish. If you are not smiling, know that you are not doing something right. Either you are stretching too much or you are not comfortable. Re-adjust your body to get your beautiful smile back. With regular practice, you will find a big improvement. There is no need to be in a hurry, your yoga mat will remain right there. 

2) Breathe. Take deep long breaths or ujjai breaths. Ujjai breaths or long deep breaths help you relax and maintain the posture. You can even use the breath to stretch further. Rest in the asana and feel the stretch.

3) Respect and honor your yoga practices. Yoga is not just as an exercise but you can experience a deeper connection to yourself and to others with regular yoga practice. 

4) Get the Yogic attitude. Go within. While doing yoga asanas, using specific rhythms of the breath links the breath and the body. Keeping the attention on where the stretch is happening; this links the body and mind. The body, breath, and mind come together in harmony during yoga asana. This yogic attitude helps deepen your yoga practice.

5) Observe. Which hand do you use more often? On which foot do you tend to lean more when you stand? Observe things about your body, especially do you favor one side more than the other?

6) Meditate. Yoga asanas prepare you for meditation and meditation in turn deepen your yoga practices. Play an Online Guided Meditation and follow the instructions to effortlessly slip into meditation.

7) Do Yoga on the Yoga Mat and Live Yoga off the Yoga Mat. Can you stretch your hand to someone new? Can you remain stable and breathe through the pain in difficult situations (just as you use the breath to stabilize difficult asanas)? Reflect on the 23 hours of life, not just the one hour of yoga practice. That is why yoga is a way of life and not just an exercise.

Yoga For Weightloss

Yoga as an ancient science has always been about the benefit that it brings to the practitioner.  Yoga is a tool that helps the body, mind and spirit. Most weight gain is not simply a matter of too many calories taken in for the calories spent. Most weight gain is just symptomatic of serious underlying causes. When each of the eight areas of health listed in this article become out of balance, then these tend to be the major causes weight gain. If the corresponding yoga postures are practiced under the guidance of a good teacher then very quickly the causes can be addressed and the benefits will show. Not only will the excess weight be quickly shed, but health will also be restored.

Here are some points listed to know how yoga can be useful for losing the weight:

·         Yoga is a natural exercise for everybody. We have been doing yoga right from the time we were babies.

·         Yoga can give you the energy and enthusiasm to create your weight loss plan and more importantly the inner strength required to stick to the plan. Create a strategy based on clear understanding of your problem. Get help from a Sri Sri Ayurveda and Sri Sri Yoga experts.

·         Yoga can support your weight loss goals by giving a healthy direction to your life energy.

·         Balance your body with yoga postures. Some yoga postures, when done correctly, massage the endocrine glands and the digestive system which improves digestion.

·         You can build your support group at the nearest Sri Sri Yoga class and make friends interested in a healthy lifestyle.

·         Lastly and most importantly, control how much, how & what you eat with yoga. Regular yoga practice can give you a valuable and unshakeable body consciousness that will help you eat less and help you eat the right food.