Is yoga your routine work? What is yoga according to you? One of the oldest physical disciplines in the world. It is a combination of complex asanas performed by people who are fit and flexible, right? Do you know how old yoga is? It is just over 5000 years old. What is the actual meaning of yoga? Yoga is defined as a means of uniting the individual spirit with the universal spirit of God. It is the means to join or to unite, symbolising the union of body and consciousness. Today it is practiced in various forms around the world and continuous to grow in popularity.
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| Facts and Benefits of Yoga |
Recognizing its universal appeal, on 11th December 2014, the United Nations proclaimed 21st June as the international day of yoga by resolution 69/131. The day 21st June was suggested by the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his UN address suggested the date of 21st June, as it is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and it shares a special significance in many parts of the world. The international day of yoga aims to raise awareness world wide of the many benefits of practicing yoga. The idea of international day of yoga was first proposed by PM Narendra Modi in his speech at the United Nations General Assembly, on 27th September 2014,
He stated:
“Yoga is an invaluable gift of India’s ancient tradition. It embodies unity of mind and body, thought and action; restraint and fulfilment; harmony between man and nature; a holistic approach to health and well being. It is not about exercise but to discover the sense of oneness with yourself, the world and the nature. By changing our lifestyle and creating consciousness, it can help in well being. Let us work towards adopting an international yoga day."
-Narendra Modi, UN General Assembly.
We can’t blame you because that’s how most people view yoga. But it won’t be wrong to say that it’s highly a shallow version of yoga that we all know. With people across the world practising yoga, some myths associated with the practice have now settled in the mainstream of yoga. Let see some interesting facts about yoga...
2. It is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices of disciplines which originated in ancient India.
3.Yoga is one of the six Astika schools of Hindu philosophical traditions. There is a broad variety of yoga schools, practices, and goals in Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism
4.It comes from the Sanskrit word literally means ‘Union’.
5.Yoga is not a religion.
6. Maharishi Patanjali is a saint who is believed to have lived some time during the 2nd century BCE. He is known for his treaty on yoga entitled ‘Patanjali Yoga Sutra’.
7.
8. Lenovo has a tablet named Yoga.
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| Lenovo Yoga Tablet |
9. In 2015 Reserve Bank of India issued a 10 rupees commemorative coin to mark the international day of yoga.
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| 10 Rupees commemorative coin |
How yoga is also called?
The yoga sutras of Patanjali Maharishi define ‘asana’ as “a position that is steady and comfortable”. Patanjali mentions the ability to sit for extended periods as one of the eight limbs of his system. Asanas are also called yoga poses or yoga postures in English.
What is the main goal of yoga?
The original context of yoga was spiritual development practices to train the body and mind to self-observe and become aware of their own nature. The purposes of yoga were to cultivate discernment, awareness, self-regulation and higher consciousness in the individual.
Well, a question arising in our mind that “why should I do yoga? Here are some benefits of yoga and how yoga helps you....
- The art of practicing yoga helps in controlling an individual’s mind, body, and soul.
- Yoga professes a complete system of physical, mental, social and spiritual development.
- It helps manage stress and anxiety and keeps you relaxed and calm.
- It improves flexibility, strength and posture, daily yoga practice will help stretching your body muscles.
- Improved all-round fitness…
- Increased energy…
- Reduce stress and breathe better….
- Improved respiration and vitality.
- Maintain a balanced metabolism.
- Weight reduction.
- Maintains Cardio and circulation health.
- Improved athletic performance.
- Protection from injury.
Yes, yoga is a great way to change things up, tone your entire body and lose weight. If you are looking to focus on your waist and belly, even better! Yoga is the perfect way to trim down. Yoga tones muscles all over your body, in balance with each other. Weight training exercises typically isolate and flex one muscle or muscle group at a time…… yoga increases muscle endurance because you typically hold any given pose for a period of time and repeat it several times during a yoga workout.
How yoga improves quality of life?
Researchers found that yoga improves quality of life, reduces stress, anxiety, insomnia, depression and back pain. It has also been found to lower heart rate and blood pressure. Yoga is a great activity for you if you have diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or heart diseases. It also increases your sex drive. A yoga session can burn between 180-460 calories depending on several factors, including the type of yoga you are doing. According to scientific researches on yoga, it controls diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and many heart diseases.
How many days a week you should do yoga?
Yoga is amazing even if you only practice for one hour a week, you will experience the benefits of the practice. If you can do more than that, you will certainly experience more benefits but too much of anything is not always good. 20-30 minutes a day is enough to do yoga.
Does yoga cause injuries?
Yes, the most common injuries include neck, back, knee, and shoulder injuries. This includes torn muscles, herniated disks and carpal tunnel. These injuries are common if you over do yoga. A 10-15 counts is enough for each asana you do. Do simple asanas which is always suggested. The yoga images that you come across most frequently are people performing headstands and all kind of complex postures. But the truth is, in the yogic system, there is very little importance given to asanas. To be specific, out of 200 yoga sutras, only one is dedicated to asanas. Take that.
Is yoga enough to keep you fit?
Yes, the answer is right. Yoga is a great activity to make you fit. All the yoga asanas are designed in a way to fit every person’s body, regardless of their flexibility, balance and strength. Not all yoga poses are difficult to perform. Very few poses, such as surya namaskar or sun salutations, a set of 12 powerful postures of yoga, require moderate to vigorous effort, and most poses fall short of the equivalent a cardio workout. No one is expected to perform the toughest pose in the first class, everything is thought successively and gradually. So, if you are not flexible and strong, regular practise can make you both.
How yoga helps in a student life?
If you are a student studying in school or any college, doing yoga regularly will really help you to boost your immunity level, energy level and helps you to concentrate in your studies. It makes you mentally, physically and spiritually strong. It develops your inherent power in a balanced manner. It offers the means to attain complete self-realization.
It helps you to stay calm and fight mental health issues. Yoga helps to provide clearance and see get rid of unnecessary thoughts. Yoga helps you to stay in an organised manner. Yoga in the early morning starts your day in a disciplined manner. It improves your mind concentration, and can be more concentrate in your studies.
Are you learning yoga from a book?
Learning yoga from books that claim to make you a yogi in 7 or 21 days, will only cause heavy damage to you. Proper guidance from an expert is a must. A book can inspire you but it cannot teach you yoga.
Yoga has gone viral of late..
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| Lord Shiva - The First Yogi |
Yoga is not new but a practice that has survived as it worked for well-being like no other. Yoga was originally practiced as form of healing. It was introduced to America in the 18th century. According to the yogic culture and Hindu mythology Lord Shiva is considered as the first yogi or supreme lord of yoga. So, yes, yoga is always popular.
Is yoga can help you make six pack abs?
Yoga is not an exercise. Yoga has a fitness dimension attached to it and what you get out of it is good health. Go to a gym or play sports for body building as yoga is done for overall well- being. Making six packs abs is not yoga.
Here are four different types of yoga that are definitely among the most popular ones in ashrams, gyms, and fitness centres around the globe.
Hatha yoga – a good start…
Kundalini yoga – spiritual and rapid….
Ashtanga yoga – structured and challenging…
Hot and Bikram yoga – intense and sweaty….
Do you know?
STANDING IS A GREAT EXERCISE!
We all know that movement constitutes exercise. However, what about just standing? If you sweat at the mere thought of breaking a sweat, this is definitely good news for you. Fitness experts say that standing is an exercise that has innumerable benefits.
It burns fat.
When you sit, your body metabolism goes for a toss. As against this, just standing can turn the tables for you. Studies show that when you stand, your body starts burning fat, which it was storing when you were sitting. “The enzymes in blood vessels of muscles responsible for fat burning are Shut off within hours of not standing”, says Marc Hamilton, associate professor of biomedical sciences, University of Missouri, US. Simply standing is a good exercise that helps burn calories and keeps your fitness in top gear.
Prevent diseases.
A study published in the “European Heart Journal” showed that standing has multiple benefits – it improves one’s cholesterol, controls blood sugar as well as fat levels.
Why it really works?
If you are wondering why would a task as simple as standing burn calories, it is because when you stand, you exercise your muscles in your legs and abdomen. This obviously expends more energy than sitting.
What can do?
If you want to incorporate standing more in your everyday life and replace sitting with it, you can try the following:
1.WALK AND TALK.
If you are on long phone calls, just get a headset and stand. It will be even better if you walk around while you take the call.
2.WATCH TV WHILE YOU STAND.
It is a good way to make your body burn those extra calories.
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