Benefits of Yoga

The benefits of yoga are numerous. It is a physical science based on coordinating the health of the body, mind and spirit for optimum health and ability to fully function using your personal potential. Regular yoga practice will help to control and focus your mind, increase your physical strength, coordination and balance.

Is It A Religion of Some Kind?

In spite of what some people think, yoga is not a particular religious practice, or method of worship. It is simply an individual path, or journey to a balance in your life, using your mind to focus on placing your physical body in certain positions that help to open your natural energy pathways, increase blood circulation, reduce blood pressure, relax, and focus your busy mind.

The benefits of yoga are different for each person, and progress depends on how important it is for each individual to work towards their potential. If you do follow a particular religion, the benefits of yoga can be looked at as a way for each person, individually, to maximize their God given potential, and use that new found physical and mental focus to more fully be a part of your religious beliefs. It is also not any kind of physical competition.

I consider one of the benefits of yoga, after practicing it for over 30 years, to be a kind of “safe harbor” for the stresses of modern life. You can look at it, in your mind, as visualizing yourself in a ship lost in one of the worst storms (modern life) you can imagine. Yoga is the “safe harbor” that suddenly appears, and the stormy seas are now outside of you, and not affecting you in the least.

Another way to get a grasp on what yoga is, and the benefits, would be to look at martial arts, such as Karate, Aikido, Tai-chi, Judo, etc. The way most of the martial arts originated was out of a necessity for everyday individuals to be able to defend themselves without any weapon other than their mind and body.

Ancient people learned that there is tremendous power within the human mind that, if an individual focuses, he or she can tap into. You have seen or read about something similar to this when you read a story about a mom, or wife who literally lifted a car off of her child or husband to keep them from dying. Those are examples of the power of the mind, when everything but the task at hand is dismissed and the focus is 100% on attaining the goal, in this case, saving a loved one.

What is amazing to me is that this power resides in every single person…..without exception! One of the most important benefits of yoga is increasing your ability to tap into this power. How would you feel if you knew that all you had to do was to focus on your breathing for 5 minutes, or, do 10 minutes of yoga asanas, and your stress would dissolve, leaving inner peace and tranquility in it’s place? That is yoga.

History of Yoga

Yoga originated in ancient India, and means “union”. As you seriously practice yoga, through following a particular set of physical poses, or “Asanas”, you truly do achieve a union of the body mind and spirit as your body relaxes through the stretching. Your mind becomes more uncluttered and your spirit opens to your natural energy flow.

The Eight Sections of Yoga

According to one of the ancient texts that are the basis for the philosophy of yoga, there are 8 sections of yoga, each one focusing on a different benefit of yoga.

The “language” of yoga, which is called “Sanskrit”, is thousands of years old, and, just like ancient Greek, it may seem a little out of the ordinary to the modern person. I know that some people let a particular language, or words, influence them to the point where they are almost paralyzed, and unable to move forward, even though they will increase their potential to incredible levels. Don’t let this be you.

Section One:

Guidelines regarding moral behavior towards others, Called “Yama”:

• Being non-violent;

• Being truthful;

• Being honest;

• Being pure of heart;

• Being free from desire.

Section Two:

Guidelines regarding behavior towards oneself, “Niyama”:

• Being clean in body and mind;

• Being content with who you are;

• Austerity: being focused on spiritual and personal growth;

• Being in a state of constant gratitude, studying and learning;

• Surrender to God: (This is YOUR God in YOUR religion).

Section Three:

Physical cleansing, “Asana”:

• Practice of Yoga postures for the physical benefits of Yoga.

Section Four: Breath, “suspending, or controlling breath”, “Pranayama”:

• Practice of breathing exercises.

Section Five:

Overcoming distractions, “Pratyahara”:

• Withdrawal of the sense organs from external objects, meaning the external world is not a distraction from the world within oneself.

• Fixing the attention on a single object without being distracted (easier said than done!)

Section Seven:

Intense contemplation, “Dhyana”:

• Meditation, every religion, without exception, involves a type of meditation, or, focus on whatever your particular belief system is. This is another benefit of yoga.

Section Eight:

Bliss, “Samadhi”:

• Merging your consciousness with the object of your contemplation. The merging of your “self” with the universe. Sometimes translated as “enlightenment”. Again, this blissful feeling is not a particular religious belief, but it is our natural mental state of mind and body unified through disciplined, focused physical and mental activities. It is an incredible way for you to live your life.

One of the significant benefits of Yoga is this mental focus and ability to move your mind to an inner state of bliss, no matter what the outer circumstances are. It is also a way for you to be the most effective in an emergency situation where others need your help: several breaths, and an inner focus on your power as a human being is all it takes.

Yoga Practice: In a Class, Or At Home?

Personally, I like a combination of the two. When you are doing your practice at home, you can set your own schedule, and more easily work it into your daily activities.

You really don’t need special, or expensive equipment:

• A Manduka 71-Inch PROlite Travel Yoga and Pilates Mat , that will keep your feet from slipping;

• A Manduka Eco-Friendly 100% Cotton Yoga Strap, for stretching more comfortably;

• “Props”, such as Manduka Cork Block that will help you to relax into the pose, even if you are not very flexible;

• A Vinyasa Flow Yoga, Grace, Power, Surf, and Sunset, Intermediate & Advanced, a ***Practice DVD*** to have a teacher “in your living room”.

• A Hugger Mugger Shoulderstand Foam, Four-Piece Set, that will help you to comfortably be in shoulder stand (this is an advanced pose).

In Conclusion

Yoga’s focus is based on women and men striving for a way to more fully utilize their mental strength and physical body so that they can live a full, focused life, without the intensity of stress that afflicts most people.

Regular yoga practice is also a way to increase your spiritual connection to God, no matter what your religion may be. Even kneeling for prayer is difficult for a lot of people, through yoga practice, your body responds to your requirements more easily, and one of these is flexibility, and increased comfort in sitting or kneeling positions for longer periods of time.

Action Steps You Can Take

1. Either sign up for a yoga class or get a dvd that you can use at home. Go to Types of Yoga for more information on where to find classes, different types of yoga, and where to purchase dvds;

2. Make a commitment to try it every other day at home, if you can, for at least 3 weeks;

3. Keep a personal “how do I feel” journal from day one, and write in it every day, start with what you want out of your practice;

4. Before you start your practice, get a yard stick or tape measure and write down how far, in inches, you can go for reaching your toes in a sitting and in a standing position, how far you can stretch to the side from your center position, and any other flexibility measurement that you want to improve;

5. If you are going for a class, see if you can observe the class before you sign up. If the instructor is moving around the room helping students into the proper positions, you probably have a good instructor, if he or she is not, I would stay away from the class since you may over-stretch and hurt yourself;

6. If you have a good friend, see if she or he would be interested in getting together for an hour several times a week and learning yoga together;

7. Be aware of how you are “moving in the world” everyday:

• How do you walk? Do you “clump” with each step, or are you light on your feet;

• How are your toes pointed when you walk? Do they point out to the side, to the inside, or are they aligned straight ahead;

• What is your posture when you catch yourself in the mirror? Do you slump over or are you rigid;

• How do you breathe? Are you taking full breaths, or very shallow. Time each inhale and each exhale. This may seem kind of silly, but the deeper your breaths, the more oxygen your cells and brain receive;

• How do you sit? Are you sitting leaning heavily back in your chair, or do you not use the chair back very much;

• How is your energy? Good, bad, ok.

This is all just kind of a “check in with yourself”. There is no grading, one person is not better than another. You just want some kind of written assessment of you before you begin your practice. At the end of one week, two weeks, three weeks, and four weeks, recess yourself, re-measure yourself, and see your progress.

Do not expect an overnight miracle with your mind and body. Depending on your age, your body has become very “comfortable” in it’s present state, and, it will “protest” as you work towards changing it! Just keep going, 1 month, 6 months, a year later, you will read your beginning assessment and be amazed at yourself!

Namaste