The purpose of yoga is to create strength, awareness, and harmony in both the mind and body," explains Natalie Nevins, a board-certified osteopathic family physician and certified Kundalini Yoga instructor in Hollywood, California.
While there are more than 100 different types, or schools, of yoga, most sessions typically include breathing exercises, meditation, and assuming postures (sometimes called asana or poses) that stretch and flex various muscle groups.
Yoga for life
Some benefits include weight loss, a strong and flexible body, glowing beautiful skin, a peaceful mind, and 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.
- All-round fitness
- Weight loss
- Stress relief
- Inner peace
- Improved immunity
- Living with greater awareness
- Better relationships
- Increased energy
- Better flexibility & posture
- Better intuition
With all this and much more to offer, the benefits of yoga are felt in a profound yet subtle manner. Here, we can have a look at the top 5 benefits:
- Yoga for all-round fitness.
As Sri Sri Ravi Shankar puts it, "Health is not a mere absence of disease. It is a dynamic expression of life – in terms of how joyful, loving and enthusiastic you are." This is where yoga helps: postures, pranayama (breathing techniques) and meditation are a holistic fitness package. The benefits accrued by being a regular practitioner are numerous. Some very discernible ones are:
- Improves health
- Gives mental strength
- Improves physical strength
- Protection from injury
- Detoxifies the body
Why do I do yoga? Well, the reasons are many, shall we say:
· Yoga – My personal fitness mantra
· My weight-loss formula
· My mind soother
· My tool for better communication
· My creativity machine
· My doubt repeller
· My time planner
- Yoga for weight loss.
The desire of many! Yoga helps here too. Sun Salutations and Kapalbhati pranayama help lose weight with yoga. Moreover, with regular practice of yoga, we tend to become more sensitive to the kind of food our body asks for and the time we take. This can also help keep a check on our weight.
- Yoga for stress relief. A few minutes of yoga during the day can be a great way to get rid of stress that accumulates daily - in both the body and mind. Yoga postures, pranayama, and meditation are effective techniques to release stress. You can experience the calming effects of yoga in the Sri Sri Yoga Level 2 program.
- Yoga for inner peace. We all love to visit peaceful, serene spots, rich in natural beauty. Little do we realize that peace can be found right within us and we can take a mini-vacation to experience this any time of the day! Benefit from a small holiday every day with yoga and meditation. Yoga is also one of the best ways to calm a disturbed mind.
- Yoga to improve immunity. Our system is a seamless blend of the body, mind, and spirit. An irregularity in the body affects the mind and similarly, unpleasantness or restlessness in the mind can manifest as an ailment in the body. Yoga poses massage organs and strengthens muscles; breathing techniques and meditation release stress and improves immunity.
