YOGA FOR WELLBEING
Our health is mostly dependent upon our genes, but not only. It is also affected by the amount of stress we are under and how we cope with stress. Our health is also affected by the food we eat, whether we smoke tobacco, or drink alcohol, whether we exercise regularly and whether we sleep well. By making wise choices in these areas, we can give ourselves longer, healthier & happier lives.Yoga can help us have longer, healthier and happier lives
Yoga can help in many ways. Hatha yoga practice involves learning how to relax well and breathe well, helping us cope with stress better. Hatha yoga also includes exercising in a safe way, which strengthens body and mind. Yoga even teaches us how to think positively and eat healthily.
What is Yoga?
Yoga is a way of calming our mind, strengthening our body and balancing our emotions. It gives a sense of well-being and a sense of connecting with life. It originated in India many years ago; some scholars date it as more than four – five thousand years old.
Ever since yoga began, human beings have gained benefit from its practice.
Today yoga is practiced by millions of people throughout the world.
There are many different forms, schools and pathways, with hundreds of masters, gurus or teachers all teaching their own interpretations of the ancient yogic teachings.
Most of us come to yoga firstly as ‘hatha yoga’ practitioners and are introduced to it as a type of physical keep-fit system. Many people are unaware that yoga isn’t only about postures and deep breathing. Yoga offers lots of different ways to practice and all the diverse forms of yoga have just one aim and that is to gain skills that create a state of ‘self-realisation or self-understanding’. Gaining ‘self- awareness’ keeps us healthier and happier on every level of our being.
Hatha yoga focuses mainly on the body, involving breathing, posture work and relaxation. It is, however only one of the pathways to ‘self- knowledge’. Most other yoga practices do not include as much physical exercise. For example, raja yoga teaches mainly sitting meditation, jnana yoga involves self-investigation, karma yoga requires selfless service and bhakti yoga includes ways to celebrate life with practises such as chanting.
Hatha yoga
Scientific medical research shows that both body and mind benefit from regular hatha yoga practice.
Studies show that...
Practicing Hatha yoga postures increases energy, massagesinternal organs, reduces muscular aches and pains and strengthens the entire body.
Practicing Hatha yoga breathing exercises lowers high blood pressure, calms the nervous system, reduces anxiety and stops the mind from worrying.
Practicing Hatha yoga relaxation also combats harmful stress and allows a better quality of sleep. Sleeping well provides more energy and positivity during the day.
Practicing Hatha yoga visualisation and meditation creates the inner strength needed to deal with life’s ups-and-downs.
Hatha yoga as a form of physical exercise is of tremendous value to our health on every level.
Hatha yoga works by releasing tension from the mind and the body.
Our energy levels increase when we release tension.
Yoga poses help stretch away muscular tension easing back ache, neck and shoulder pain and other physical discomfort. They also tone muscles, joints and the spine, improving posture in general. Good posture boosts self-confidence.
Yoga breathing exercises quieten the mind, calm the emotions, and through increased oxygen intake, nourishes all the cells of the body.
Yoga relaxation and meditation practice sharpens the mind, improves awareness and encourages a happier and contented internal world.
If you choose to practice hatha yoga regularly you should experience an improvement of your general well-being, perhaps relief from back pain, freedom from insomnia, indigestion or tension headaches, and more willpower and self-esteem. In time, with continuous regular practice you will notice a change from deep within, a growing awareness of a state of inner calm. Yoga works slowly and gently, so you need to be patient. Just as the way water gradually changes the shape of a rock or cliff, so yoga practice over time, changes our state from depressed, anxious or unwell, to being more calm, balanced and vibrant.
Ahimsa/Gentleness
Yoga emphasises the importance of practising with the attitude of being gentle, treating the body with care and respect. Being competitive creates inner conflict and tension. Ahimsa means deciding that the best posture that you can do at any given moment is the ‘perfect’ posture.
The Yogabhashya states, ‘The posture becomes perfect, when the effort of achieving it vanishes’.
You can avoid becoming competitive during your hatha yoga session by letting tension go with each exhalation. It can take time and patience to learn how to relax and stay focused while practising, yet once mastered; each session becomes a joyful experience.
Tapas/Discipline
In order to receive the benefits yoga has to offer we have to practice and that requires self-discipline. It certainly is difficult to persevere at anything, even if we know our perseverance will bring us a better quality of life. Still, we must face the truth that if we do not care for our body it will be more vulnerable to illness, if we do not calm our emotions they will overwhelm us, if we do not still our mind it will have us running round in never-ending circles, preventing us from resting at the place, that in yoga is called our ‘true nature’, which is a more energised and contented state.
The cleansing effect
While the practice of hatha yoga improves health and releases tension, you may find to begin with that you feel more under the weather. Sometimes new students experience symptoms such as an increase in spots, headaches and irritability. This is due to the cleansing process of hatha yoga and will pass, though it could take some weeks or occasionally even months. Sometimes it happens to experienced practitioners., when they deepen their practice after months or even years of yoga. If it happens to you try not to give up yoga; tension need time to be released safely. While the cleansing effect certainly does not happen to everyone, if it does happen to you why not regard it as a positive sign that the practice is working? Please discuss any problems with your teacher, or you can email me at saraswati@blueyonder.co.uk
The Importance of Exercise
Physical exercise is good for us and benefits our whole being in many different ways. It improves circulation, making the heart a more efficient pump, and maintains the elasticity of arteries, which makes blockages less likely. It also tones the respiratory system. Stronger lungs are more resilient, allowing increasing exchanges of oxygen and carbon dioxide. Exercise regulates metabolism giving the body more energy.
Exercise also aids elimination by promoting the flow of perspiration, as well as improving the movement of the intestines. Our joints are kept supple, strong and healthy through regular exercise, which helps to prevent early development of disorders such as osteoarthritis and osteoporosis.
Exercise also stimulates the release of endorphins in the brain, which helps fight depression and improves mood. It neutralises stress, allowing greater relaxation and sounder sleep.
It can delay aging and increase life expectancy. Exercise most definitely can improve our health and well-being. Yet The World Health Organisation website states that due to modern sedentary lifestyle at least 60% of the world's population fails to complete the recommended amount of physical activity required to induce these health benefits.
If we are to provide the best quality of life that we can for ourselves we need to exercise regularly. Hatha yoga is a beautiful and excellent form of exercise.
Regular practice
As with all exercise, the effectiveness of hatha yoga depends on frequent, regular practice. Many people lead busy lives and find it difficult to maintain regular practice. If you want to practice at home but do not have much time to commit, you could simply perform a warm-up routine, such as the cat routine, the moon salutations, the sun salutations, flowing strength routine, the earth centre routine, or the spirit salute. These lovely yogic flowing routines increase and maintain general flexibility and strength. A 10–15-minute daily session would be very beneficial. Practice them with care; you may need to modify postures if you have any physical complaints such as backache. Once you have mastered the basics, make sure that you pay attention to details, so that you perform each pose as accurately as your body will allow.
Some important points to consider while practicing...
Breathing
Breathing should always be smooth, slow and co-ordinated with the postures. Observing the breath encourages concentration, which is important throughout all yoga practice.
Concentration
Hatha yoga requires concentration on the body while moving in and out of poses as well as when holding them. Try to avoid thoughts of the past and future as much as possible. Be with your body.
Warming up to prepare for the holding pose
The continual movement of a ten-minute flow or warm-up routine, such as several rounds of the moon salute warms and limbers up the muscles. Warming up before practising any holding stretches/asana is very important. To go straight into a holding posture without having warmed the body up first could result in pulled tendons, ligaments and even muscles.
The warm-ups are sets of yoga postures performed continuously creating a flowing routine. They loosen up the muscles, improve circulation, oxygenate and nourish the body, strengthen the heart, lubricate the joints, and safely accustom the body to stretching. They also give you an idea of your physical mobility level. Our flexibility and strength varies according to the time of day, our emotional state, how tired we may be, or even how much, or what type of food we have recently eaten.
Asana/The holding pose
After having warmed up you are ready to spend time holding your poses. Before attempting holding a pose/asana, visualise yourself performing it with positivity and gentleness. Remember that yoga emphasises ahimsa/non-violence, which means practising with care and respect for your body. There is no room in yoga for competition; it only lessens the effects of the practice. Try to work with an attitude of patience.
There are three parts to each asana: the moving in, the hold and the moving out. Move in and out of your postures slowly, smoothly and mindfully.
Always move in and out gently, try not to bounce back and forth, because that could tear muscle fibres weakening muscles.
Focusing the mind
When holding a pose pour your entire being into it, allowing your body to become your instrument of meditation. Focus on inhaling positive energy and as you exhale negativity let that positive energy flow through your being.
When holding a pose you may find that thinking of the benefits of the posture deepens your motivation and focuses your mind.
A yoga pose stretches certain muscles. As you hold each pose focus on the area you are stretching.
Never overstretch, try to find a place where you feel a gentle pull and hold for ten to thirty seconds. Soften into the stretch as you slowly exhale.
To begin with, you may not be able to hold a pose for more than a few seconds, but with practice, you will be able to lengthen the holding time. When your body is flexible and strong enough you will find each hold becomes a calming meditation. Always come out of the stretch slowly and gently.
Self-Care and Respect through regular practice
The medical profession is constantly warning us of the need for a healthier lifestyle and telling us that we can be proactive in our own well-being. Our bodies need exercise. The only way the body can be kept in good condition is by regular, steady exercise, practising at least every other day throughout the week. The original yoga masters suggested daily hatha yoga practice. The best time according to the old teaching is first thing every morning to set us up for the day ahead. Whatever time of the day you choose, you will discover that regular, steady practice will result in a light (sattvic) body, free of excess tension, energetic, strong and flexible, and a pleasure to live in.
Our minds need rest. Daily yoga meditation will help you calm turbulent emotions and create a happier more positive mind.
Regular yoga practice is the perfect way to build a strong caring relationship with your own being.
The word ‘yoga’ means to ‘unite, to yoke, to harness, to bring together, to become whole, or to be at one’. As we journey along our yogic path, we slowly recognise the strong human being we are.
Firstly hatha yoga connects us to our body and instead of denying it we learn to nurture and nourish it. Then our practice makes us more emotionally aware and able to calm inner and outer emotional upsets. In time our practice enables us to still the endless stories of the mind. And a calm mind gives us greater freedom when reacting to life situations.
The word ‘yoga’ means to unite or yoke kindness from the heart with wisdom from the mind. When we practice our postures, or even more importantly live our lives with that union of heart/mind, the relationship we have with ourselves and our universe feels magical. However, no magic is involved- only pure practice!
Hatha yoga offers us a better way of living.
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