Benefits of Yoga

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Benefits of Yoga

I feel it sounds very unfair to start this topic without more explanation of the true meaning of Yoga.

                Yoga means the unification of body, mind and soul, but without going too deep into that, I would prefer to simply focus my discussion around the benefits of the science of yoga in two separate segments, and that is physical and mental benefits of yoga.

          Yoga can be summarized towards the unification of body, mind, and soul. A new aspirant in yoga would want to ask how?  Yes…  we create total harmony through yoga. We have different types of yoga, but here let's focus more on Hatha yoga or the physical aspects of yoga which has to do with flexibility, proper postures and breathing exercises.

            So looking at the two physical tools of hatha yoga we can picture the  "BREATH AND  JOINTS". But most importantly the goal of yoga is our smooth journey from the crude to subtle and finally to the divine. the divine feeling in most cases appears too impractical without freedom of bodily and mental pains.

            Meanwhile, let's keep our focus on postures and proper breathing. Hatha is my foundational yoga which I love and cherish dearly, hatha yoga isn't the same as gym physical exercises which require vigorous actions. Hatha yoga requires synchronization of posture with breath control, and of course, pinpointed attention.

          Hatha means the moon and the sun or in other words cold and heat. Like the yin and yang in Tai Chi, so hatha yoga uses some breathing techniques and postures to generate heat, and also calm the body and mind down, creating tremendous benefits to the entire body and mind. The breathing exercise also helps us to be in charge of our breath, relax our nerves and promote proper circulation.

            Breathing exercises send oxygen-rich blood to the brain, which helps to activate brain cells and promote memory.  Breath energy is the driver of all the transport system of the body. 

                Certain yoga postures like headstand send oxygen-rich blood to the brain cells and also activates the pituitary and pineal gland. Studies have shown that yoga can prevent memory loss and even take care of dementia and other memory related issues. Oxygen is the life force, we all need it, we all need yoga, we all need breathing exercises.

       Hatha yoga means an aspect of yoga which unifies heat and cold in the body. Though the word yoga brings a mental picture of physical postures to the mind of most persons. Hatha yoga originated from the eight limbs of Raja yoga, our focus here is hatha yoga, like I said before.         

      Practically speaking hatha yoga refers to physical postures or asanas, systematically synchronized with breath control, but it requires concentration. Hatha yoga without concentration might lead to some form of injury.

                  Hatha yoga has fluidity, awareness, grace, concentration and relaxation as principles. Being too quick is not an idea. The poses are not the major thing. There could be little pain and discomfort during postures, especially when you stretch inflexible body parts, such pain is a pleasurable light healing pain, though we are advised to avoid the creation of pain during yoga.

                       Different teachers with their own view, like in Pilates where you gently work through minor pains that are warning signs of tight nerves and joints. Practical experiences made me realized that stress can tighten our joints and muscles, so in that case, through hatha yoga practice, you definitely will feel that healing relaxing pains, but at the same time, one should be sensitive enough to differentiate between strenuous pain and healing pain.

                        Hatha yoga is so natural you must do the poses according to your own pace, stay at your pace. Focus on your breath, and you will experience that pain moving out into pleasure.

 Hatha yoga is the medicine for the physical body. With a pain-free joint one can focus better in life, yoga brings calm disposition into play.                     

•                 Studies have shown how yoga can impact on efficiency in all ramifications. Though Hatha yoga originally is a preparation for higher and deeper aspects of yoga that requires concentration. Everyone must not take to the spiritual yoga due to some religious concern, but it's the topmost goal of life anyway.  But practically speaking everyone can meditate without chanting of mantra.  Breath meditation is natural, it simply means attention and awareness.

.                           We mostly do not pay attention within, which also leads to so many emotional issues, though that's not the focus of today's topic.

Hatha is incomplete without breath control, the breath synchronization helps to send in messages to our internal organs, cells, and nerves

                As you stretch into yoga postures with breath control, it creates the detoxifying nature of yoga, with that in view unwanted properties, dead cells, toxic waste in our system pushes their way out through the drainage system.

                If you can do breathing exercises for 10-15 minutes before your Hatha practice, you will definitely enjoy your Hatha yoga session.  Breathing exercise helps to relax your nerves, and that will open up your joints by activating the chakras to energize your gland to release rich hormones that help to lubricate your joints so you will be able to practice asanas without pain.

               Always practice at your own pace. Some experts say the human lungs has about 73 million cells, and under normal circumstances about 80% don't get enough oxygen, leading to air bond issues like cough, asthma sinusitis, etc. The yogic breathing gets the capacity of the lungs in full.                  

                     Most people especially here in Nigeria, don't breath well due to several factors, but one key predominant  factor is stress, everyone is under stress, and the worst and most alarming level of stress is even the inability to recognize and accept you have  stress, it's only when you understand the sickness that you can understand the medicine,

          

                 .. Take a deep breath, pause, take a time out into yoga as a science to help discover how deep you live with fast racing thoughts like your second nature. Think about it, have we ever lived a life of no rush, no anxiety, no pressure, no deadlines? Have you ever thought of one moment of no tension, no fast racing thoughts?

                    This is just the reality of life, tension everywhere, reactions everywhere, the truth is that our emotions hit hard on our life force every minute of the day. Check yourself, when your mode changes your breathing pattern also changes, meaning sadness, anger, happiness, anxiety, love, etc.. they all have a different rhythmical pattern they bring into our respiratory system, and that also determines the level of one's blood pressure and temperature.

                        Yes, yoga has so many promising benefits, but the mindset has to remain positive and free of mental worry because the mind is the only root cause of our problem, stress means mental feeling, as the feelings so the blood and hormones. So for Hatha yoga to work for you as a sustainable program, you must wake up mentally first, by believing in your ability to do the poses, starting at your own pace, and with constant practice, you will progress.

              The benefit of yoga is too holistic, and yoga is very practical and scientific, yoga is technological in the sense that it recreates your real self from inside, cos technology means the creation of reality, yoga is the path of self-discovery, it gives you that practical understanding of the body chemistry, yoga is also chemistry. Yoga helps us to understand the force of gravity as relates to postures.

                    Classical hatha yoga postures allow you to naturally adjust the body into its proper form, correct bad posture.

                  

                    Over the years we've lived under tension and anxieties that have eaten deep into our muscles, joints, and even mind too, stress hormones daily affect our pH level daily, experts all over the world says 90% of medical challenges are stress related, and everything in the body also under chemical changes as we advance in age;  the heart, the brain, joints, etc… as we advance in age some fluids that help to lubricate your joints also dry up, ligaments and tendons stiffen up, the truth is that what you don't use you will lose. The human body is like a car, you must internally keep the body active and calm.  

               Yoga works on the chakras which also has linked with the glands, the activation of chakras energizes the glands to produce sufficient hormones to maintain the quality of blood that will keep the cells of the body healthy and alive. Hatha yoga is the secret of forever young. Yoga is a science, but unfortunately, no words can excellently describe the benefits of yoga better than experience. I encourage you to give it a try. Look for a good yoga class around you, and try it. Don't think you must be flexible before you can practice yoga. There's no competition in yoga. You must grow at your own pace but be consistent, sincere and committed. At times I hear clients say to me they need to lose weight before they can join the yoga class, haha the wrong notion, don't forget some persons are fat but flexible, while some are slim but inflexible.  If you practice yoga constantly and eat right, yoga will help you lose weight.  Yoga work through your glands.  Postures as shoulder stand and great locks on the kriyas work on the thyroid gland which controls metabolism.  Hatha yoga has a lot of strength building postures.

          Hatha yoga helps to lubricate the joints, realign the ligaments. Hatha Yoga physiologically controls the Central Nervous System (CNS), transport oxygen-rich blood to the cells of the brain. Been steady with your yoga practice gives you a steady balance on the floor. As we advance in age we lose balance on the floor, though there are other factors too, that could cause a lack of stability on the grand. Some yoga postures work on strength and balance on the floor. Yoga poses works on the hamstring, knees, back, waist, neck and shoulders if you have issues like the tightness of your joints and constant low back pains trust yoga.

            Yoga can help you get sound sleep. After a suitable yoga session, most persons have reported improved sleep. With yoga the regulation of blood pressure is sure. The corpse pose is known for blood pressure control. Some yoga postures help to open uptightness of the hips and the pelvic floor.

            Hatha yoga helps to build up strong willpower. Research has shown that regular Hatha eliminates self-pity and depression. For sure you will notice the sweet progress by day as you stick to regular hatha yoga practice, hatha yoga helps to boost self-confidence and self-esteem, Depending on your kind of hatha yoga sequences. Hatha Yoga has proven to reduce stress and emotional issues. Yoga is timeless, yoga has been widely practiced more than 7 thousand years ago in the history of man. If you observe mankind and ANIMALS we've all enjoyed the benefits of yoga or body movements in different ways. Observe animals and little children you come to realize that yoga is natural. The concept behind yoga is about the elimination of mental worries, to always be happy. Rapid ageing happens majorly due to stress, anxieties, excitement, lack of proper sleep and rest.  One cannot be a yogi without moderation in all facets of life. Stick to balance, then yoga will help you control the influence of un-natural fast ageing. Constant hatha yoga eliminates wrinkles, brings calmness to the mind, Yoga is one best cure to depression and anxieties. Regular Hatha yoga promotes digestion and regulates appetites. If one can practice postures as shoulder stand very well, there will be no issue with weight management because shoulder stand works on the thyroid which medically controls metabolism. Yoga might not put an end to issues of life but it will give one willpower to manage the challenges of life with a balanced mindset, Hatha yoga is powerful and natural.