2016-02-11
Joybynature.com Team
Feb
11

Image Source: Baniaello

With the growing erratic schedule in our daily lifestyles mingled with lack of time for a full-fledged fitness regime, most of us are on a lookout for something that can address our physical and mental fitness together.

More and more people are increasingly shifting to the age-old tried and tested techniques of Yoga that are proven to have an all-encompassing effect on both the body and mind. Yoga is structured around a series of exercises -both physical and mental – that contribute towards a healthy mind and body.

While at the physical level, yoga comprises postures or what are known as ‘asanas’, mental techniques include exercises that aim at breathing control and meditation. Practicing Yoga on a routine basis is said to bring a treasure chest of health, freeing body of mental stress and physical strain!

Benefits of Yoga

Yoga is like a chest of health treasures! Whether it is stress management, beautiful glowing skin, sleep disorders, weight loss or just a strong, flexible body or calm mind or generally good health – Yoga has got something to offer everyone!!

Try imbibing Yoga in your life today for one or more of these key benefits: 

  1. All-round Health & Fitness: Yoga, with its asanas, breathing techniques and meditation, brings a holistic health &fitness package. While including Yoga asanas into your lifestyle benefit your body through a flexible and strong body and toned muscles; they also help improve your body posture and relieve you of problems that arise out of incorrect posture. Breathing techniques are great detoxifiers and meditation brings calmness to tired brain cells.

 

  1. Weight Management: With regular practice of Yoga, the body becomes increasingly sensitive to the type of food that it needs and also improves the digestion and absorption of these into the body. This helps keep a check on the weight and assists weight management.  

 

  1. Stress Relief: Yoga is a very good way of managing stress accumulated over the day. Yoga asanas, pranayama and light meditation are effective ways of reducing stress. 

 

 

  1. Improved Immunity: Yoga asanas are structured such that they stimulate and massage the internal organs and strengthen muscles. Over and above theses pranayama and meditation further reduce physical and mental stress from the body, significantly improving the body’s immunity.

 

  1. Energy Booster: With our lifestyles becoming more and more hectic and leaving little room for restful periods, our body and mind gets sapped of energy during the course of the day. Simple yoga asanas with a 10-minutes meditation benefit the mind by relaxing it and refreshing the body cells.

 Make Yoga part of your life today! Just 10-15 minutes of Yoga can bring you 24-hours of renewed energy to tackle all the tasks without any stress striding along!

There are several types of Yoga and each person’s body constitution is befitting for one or the other kind of Yoga. While choosing Yoga as a way ahead, you must make sure of which yoga suits you best (with the help of an experienced Yoga instructor) to reap the right benefits from this age-old art.

Ashtanga Yoga: One of the oldest types of Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga includes yoga positions, asanas, pranayama, meditation, concentration on objects, withdrawal of senses, etc. It is recommended for people looking for overall physical and mental fitness. The popular "Surya Namaskara" is a part of this type of yoga. 

Hatha Yoga: Hatha Yoga, however, rests extensively on Yoga postures and asanas for its benefit. Hatha Yoga essentially promotes spiritual and mental health and includes pranayama &bandhas (spiritual- and energy-awakening practices). 

Mantra Yoga: Mantra Yoga, as the name suggests, practices the chanting of mantras. This type of Yoga usually requires Yoga guru for guidance and make use of other yoga products like organic incense sticks, rosaries, etc. 

Kundalini Yoga: Kundalini Yoga is one of the most widely practiced branches of Yoga. Awakening of the ‘chakras’ or the psychic centers in the body is the crux of this type of Yoga. There are a total of 6 chakras in each individual and this Yoga aims at reaching all the six chakras through Yogic practices.  

While these are the traditional types of yoga, many new, modern versions have come up based on these traditional ones. These branches like Bikram Yoga, Power Yoga etc. are inspired by tradition and customized under western influences. They make use of one or more of the traditional branches and carve out a new Yoga practice that gives benefits derived from all.

Most popular among these is Power Yoga. Power Yoga is a vinyasa Yoga adaptation and an offshoot of Ashtanga Yoga. It is a vigorous and fitness-based method, bringing the same benefits, including increased stamina, body flexibility as well as stress reduction. In this modern approach to traditional Yoga practice, the stress is on the adaptation of the breathing with the custom-tailored sequences designed by the Yoga teachers. 

For more information on the benefits of Yoga for health & fitness, click here.

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