Importance of yoga In Today's life

Yoga- Century’s old traditions becoming better option for today.

Yoga has been synonymous with the Hindu tradition for ages. Known to be founded in the ancient ages, yoga has spread its root far and wide into the world and has gained traction over the past couple of decades. Although the practice has been associated with hippies for all negative and non-pragmatic reasons, it is only ideal that it be convened and taught in all its natural form and glory.

There are several myths about yoga that have been popularised by commercially driven organisations. However, yoga is as pure and serene as anything can get. Derived from the Sanskrit word “Yuj”, yoga means union of the body and mind. Dating back to 5000 years and more, Yoga was primarily used for elevating consciousness by ancient gurus. However, different forms of yoga, appeal to different masses and serve different purposes.

Yoga could be used to calm yourself down, lose weight, enhance flexibility, or just for the mere sake of it. It doesn’t mean that you have to be stretchy and flexible like another elastic band. It takes years of practice to achieve that kind of strength and durability. It is similar to developing and practicing a new hobby. It is an everyday effort and calls for dedication and perseverance which is not an easy task. Yoga helps you become more disciplined, focused and peaceful. It is known to align all your chakras well such that you have a holistic development without any hassles.One might wonder why yoga is a better option than working out in the gym. Well, yoga is easy to learn unlike working out in the gym where you need a professional to help you out with the equipment and postures. Yoga instructors over the world teach through videos and through the classes which are usually registered with Yoga Associations. Moreover, if it interests you, you could opt for a teacher’s training program which adds value to your practice. Additionally, you can practice it anywhere and everywhere. All you need is your Yoga mat and a convenient time to get started. Any given point of time in the day is amazing to practice yoga. Unfortunately, that option is ruled out when you want to hit the gym.

Different Kinds of Yoga

There are several kinds of yoga, however, we are familiar with just a few of them which are widely commercialised. It is not just limited to complex poses and postures. It is so much more.

• Kriya Yoga: When we reduce yoga to a way of just making life better by weight loss or gain, we ruin the sanctity of it. Yoga was not discovered to all postures and posies. Yoga always aimed to unite the constitution of cognition and perception. The conundrum always exists and it causes a turmoil in the human mind. The agenda was to calm though pulses down and focus on being a new and evolved human being. It is as easy as sitting in silence and focusing on the breathing. As you might be aware that multiple breathing practices have known to change the way we see or experience life in general. Also known as pranayama, Yoga Sutra is so dependent on how you focus on your breathing. This forms the basis of Kriya Yoga which was founded ages ago by enlightened Rishis and Gurus.
• Ashtanga Yoga: Astanga literally translates to eight limbs. The postures of Astanga yoga demand intense physical strength as it involves multiple sequences. Not recommended for beginners, the yoga form moves through several sequences very easily and requires that you be a seasoned yogi such that you really like it from the get go. It can include floor postures and standing postures which can resemble a high intensity interval training circuit. Practised majorly by the Mysore led group, Ashtanga yoga is your go to method when you are trying to push your boundaries and explore the body capabilities. One thing that you should be aware of is the breath to body movement linkages to avoid injuries.
• Vinyasa Yoga: Touted to be the most athletic form of all yoga forms, Vinyasa is also co-ordinated through breathing and body movements. This includes intense warm up sessions and then followed by advanced Ashtanga yoga forms. Vinyasa Yoga demands that you have a guru whom you can practice it with. As you grow into the form, you start holding the forms longer and it adds to the strength of the body.

Postural yoga has been known to cure illnesses and diseases through mere practice. It includes changes in diet, changes in lifestyle, changes in different aspects such that benefits are multi-fold. Yoga helps build the core strength and improves breathing patterns. When you breathe in a particular way, the cortisol levels are forced to go down which thereby improves your physical and mental health. Mind and body transformations have been synonymous with yoga for a very long time now and it has been clinically proven too!

But how does that help modern day citizens?Given the kind of lifestyle we are used to, it is difficult to stop and smell the roses. Nobody has got any time for that anyway. Find time for self-regulation which can help you enhance that cognitive function. Yoga is one of the most convenient ways to rediscover yourself. It is not difficult to feel lost or distracted and underperform at work when you are in such a competitive environment. The secret is to breathe and do so properly.You might have been a start performer who has taken the organisation by storm and people recognise you as the new rising star. But sometimes, situations do not work out in your favour. It might be a personal setback and an unavoidable one at that which might cause you to spiral down your ladder. But does that mean you give up? No, you step back, re-connect with yourself, find out what the purpose and get on with it, hands down! It is really that simple for sure!