Yoga And Health Benefits Of Practising Yoga Regularly

By

Asha Khagram
of Krishnayoga

Many people are first drawn to yoga to keep their bodies fit, supple and healthy. Others come to yoga to seek relief from back pain or to relieve stress. Whatever the reason, yoga can be an instrument to give you this and much more. If you practice yoga regularly, you will become aware of subtle changes to your body shape, your body will become stronger and healthier and your posture will improve. You will also notice how your approach to your life changes and you will begin to feel a state of inner peace.

Yoga is a detailed subject and it takes years to learn the full meaning of yoga but in the western world today, we mainly practice asanas (postures) pranayama (breathing exercise) and meditation.

Postures: postures don't just help you to keep your body fit and healthy, yoga postures also removes impurities and toxins from the body. This releases more energy and promotes good health.

To start asana practice: we start with gentle sun salutation to warm the body up and to reduce the risk of injury and sprain when we practice dynamic postures.

Dynamic postures make the body supple and strong, for example, warrior postures, back bends, forward bends and inverted postures. The warrior postures tone and strengthen the whole body while reducing joint problems in the knee, hip, and shoulder.

Back bends: postures are stimulating, dynamic and associated with embracing life as they work against the natural pull of gravity. On an emotional level, those who have difficulty bending backwards, may be frightened to face life. On a physical level, they strengthen the lower back thus reducing back pain and helping to prevent slipped disks and other back problems. Back bends expand the chest, encourage deep inhalation as well as massaging and toning the abdominal area.

Forward bends: postures are passive working with gravity to help release tension, and induce tranquillity and relaxation. When people live sedentary lives with no exercise, their bodies becomes stiff and unable to bend forward. During these postures, the vertebrae separate which improve the circulation around the spine and nourish the spinal cord.

Twisting postures: stimulates spinal nerves, most twisting postures enhance the pranic flow around the navel, this nourishes the internal organs such as liver kidneys and gall bladder. twisting postures has strong effect on health and vitality. on the emotional level twisting represents managing knots and problems of life. when sometimes life seems complicated and problems appear too difficult to solve, these postures gives insight and inspire us in how to approach and untie the tangled knots of life.

Inverted postures: inverted postures improve health
reduce anxiety and stress, and increase self confidence. they also encourage a rich supply of blood to flow to the brain nourishing the nerves and removing the toxins. while the body is inverted the breathing becomes slow and deep thus maximising exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen, encouraging correct breathing. in addition, the abdomen and internal organs like liver and kidneys receive a powerful massage helping them to perform their function more efficiently.Inverted postures also improves the quality of pranayama (breathing exercise) and meditation.

The headstand is one of the most challenging postures yet it is easy to learn. there is often a fear factor surrounding inversions and the headstand seems scarier then the shoulder stand. the key to practising the headstand is to build a solid foundation. even though it is called headstand, it is an arm balance as most of the weight initially is supported by the arms.The headstand teaches you how to confront and overcome fear. Performing headstand lifts your spirit wonderfully when something is dragging you down and also makes a marvellous start to the day. it increases the digestive fire and fills you up with enthusiasm for facing life.

Pranayama: (breathing exercise)

Pranayama nourishes the whole body with an extra supply of oxygen and expels carbon dioxide from the lungs. pranayama induces tranquillity, calmness and mental clarity of mind. pranayama also reduces stress and anxiety.

Meditation:

Some people meditate to solve their problems some to escape reality. with regular practice of meditation, you will discover great sense of purpose and strength of will. your thinking become more clearer and you will experience inner peace. meditation certainly brings mental, physical and emotional well beings.

How yoga can benefit in sports: Yoga rounds off every sports ideally and reduces the risk of injury. On the physical level, yoga counteracts muscular imbalance caused by one sided sports practised intensively like foot ball, tennis and golf. On the mental level yoga increases concentration, relaxation skills and increased energy and stamina.

The benefits for athletes are: a balance of strength and flexibility, reduced risk of injury and improved relaxation and increased energy, all these factors helps athletes in top shape.

you are never too old to practice yoga and it is never too late to start.

You are never to young to practice yoga. a discipline of yoga provides guidance for a life time to the children. the serenity of mind that yoga engenders and physical vitality and suppleness it creates, are important to young children. for children yoga offers a way of maintaining good health throughout life with their natural resilience and sense of balance, postures comes easily to them.

Teenagers will find benefit in all aspects of practising yoga and any feeling of self-conscious will be replaced by self confidence.

Make sure your teacher is fully qualified and experienced in teaching yoga as teaching yoga is not just about teaching postures. There is more to yoga then perfect postures. Never force a posture, allow your body to be ready for doing difficult posture and approach slowly with awareness. while practising yoga keep your focus on breathing this induces mental calmness and stops mind from wandering.

Asha Khagram Of Krishnayoga
e-mail: asha@krishnayoga.co.uk
www.krishnayoga.co.uk
Tel: 00357 97-743279