This article is devoted to the introduction to Yoga. Yoga is a discipline based on the practice of physical exercises and techniques of meditation, breathing, and relaxation. People in the ancient Indian sub-continent practiced Yoga and now it’s very popular in the west too. Yoga is not only great for your mental peace, you should consider yoga for weight loss.
When we look around we find everybody stressed out. We are more and more stressed every day. It looks like stress has become a part of our life. The ringing phone, running children around the house, vacuuming noise, loud TV sound, notifications from your computer, gnawing your last altercation at the office, and so on is buzzing on your head. In short, the list is very very long.
And in a world in which we are so much in demand, sometimes we have to a break, A BREAK!
For some, it will be a question of going on vacation or planning an outing without the children. But for others, it will be an opportunity to meet up with you, to catch up or to meditate. This is a big trend in recent years.
In the race for well-being, mental happiness is now in the center of attention, and in the foreground, there is Yoga.
Today we will take some time to give you an introduction of Yoga, the discipline, and its benefits.
What is yoga?
Yoga means “union”. It is a holistic discipline which consists in uniting the different components of the human being – the physical, the psychic, and the spiritual.
There is no yoga, but yogas. Well, this is not the latest fashion trend to make you happy for good. No. Yoga is an ancient Indian method. Its been in practice in the year 3000 BC.
Over the course of evolution, yoga has also evolved too. Yoga made room for more and more adaptations according to cultures and technology changes.
How to practice yoga?
The main practices of yoga are meditation, postural exercises, and asceticism. The latter is a discipline that is often associated with religions without however being limited to them. It consists of perfection of the mind or of the physical, a kind of homeostasis, of simple but perfect balance. Very often it is food fasting which is practiced but there are other means of practicing asceticism, for example by sexual abstinence. Now let’s get an introduction to some key features of yoga.
Asanas (body exercises)
The objective of the exercises is to allow greater awareness of our body, to strengthen us, and reduce joint or muscle tensions. By increasing our flexibility, we will achieve this. This discipline is accompanied by the following, essential. The asanas will not only make you flexible but yoga for weight loss is a new trend in Nepal.
Pranamaya (breath control)
Respiration plays an essential role in our organism, all cells needing oxygen. However, beyond the direct physiological aspect, breathing plays an important part in relaxation, in particular by giving us the possibility of connecting with our nervous system. This obviously having as main objective the consciousness of our being and of our body as a whole.
Dharana and dhyana (concentration and meditation)
During the same time as breathing and bodily postures, it is out of the question to let your thoughts join everyday problems! It is essential to focus on the present moment, the real moment. This is how concentration is the first step towards a full state of satisfaction then brought by meditation. The latter allowing to refocus on the deep things of life and on our being.
The objective and expected effects of yoga
Too often mistakes are made, being confused about its purpose and side effects.
The objective relates to a sensation, a feeling, a state, sought during the practice of yoga. Namely a state of well-being, of harmony between body and mind, of soothing, relaxation, serenity between the body and it’s surroundings.
The effects are different and have a more physiological and psychological impact. Yoga for weight loss is what you need to consider.
Among these effects, we find those due to posture such as flexibility, relaxed, the disappearance of joint pain and stiffness, the toning, even the more subtle energy flow. We do not experience these benefits in a state of permanent stress.
Breathing generates an increase in blood and lymphatic circulation and consequently increases the circulation of antibodies. It will lead us to an increment in our body’s resistance to infections.
There are many psychological effects, which are the most sought after by practitioners (which by the way can be of all ages):
- Reduction of stress, anxiety, and anxiety thanks to a finer connection to our nervous system
- Decreased sensitivity to emotions through breathing
- Reduced depressive states
Stress can cause a lot of inconvenience on a daily basis. Some of them are gnawing nails, constipation, ulcers, skin problems, stiffness, etc.
Daily yoga practice can alleviate all of these problems or even eliminate them. Because in addition yoga doesn’t demand many apparatuses but just a simple mat, flexible outfit, and only a short time. And, of course, your dedication.
Since you are bound to be healthy both mentally and physically and got all the information you needed from this introduction of yoga, there is another article for the same purpose. Please check “10 Running Benefits For Mental And Physical Health“. You will like it.
Yoga for weight loss: through relaxation
Every good yoga class contains a variety of relaxing exercises: At the beginning of the yoga practice there is often an exercise to arrive – a meditation, a body scan while lying down, or a short breathing exercise in the mountain posture of Tadasana. During the lesson, you (as already mentioned) reduce stress hormones through physical exercise, but also through deep, regular breathing and balancing pranayama exercises such as alternating breathing Anuloma Viloma (also called Nadi Shodana) or bee breathing Brahmari. Then of course comes the important final relaxation Shavasana at the end of the hour. And the inner attitude that is taught in yoga classes – stay with you and do not compare, feel inside yourself, but do not evaluate – has a relaxing effect.
With these relaxation techniques, yoga helps you lose weight. Because of the stress hormone cortisol is broken down regularly during yoga, your overall cortisol level will drop – this is proven. And cortisol is considered a great fattening hormone because it leads us to eat stress and frustration. The combination of stress and food has been stored in us since the Stone Age and has nothing to do with a weak will. We intuitively compensate physical and mental stress situations with high-calorie food – which unfortunately not only has a relaxing effect but also increases bodyweight and therefore tends to cause even more stress in the long term.
In summary: Stress leads to us blocking access to inner peace and serenity – Yogis say: The inner center is lost. Through the relaxation techniques in yoga, you learn to distinguish critical situations from less important events and interrupt the vicious cycle of stress, frustrations, weight gain, and thus stress again – and all this in a very relaxed manner.