Yoga- a way of life

You all must have heard the term “yoga”. Yoga is an ancient practice that has become popular all over the world. Are you a health freak and a conscious about how you look? Stressed about your mental well-being? Yoga is the best choice for you as it is a physical, mental, and spiritual practice that aims to modify our body and mind. Evolved in India almost 26,000 years ago, helps in the settlement of the fluctuations of the mind, leading to the attainment of inner peace and positivity. Also, regular practice of this can help you to develop greater awareness, encourage mindfulness, and improve your focusing ability. If you are fascinated to imbibe more knowledge about the merits of yoga then read this article which will provide you with all its necessary details.

According to the studies, 15 minutes of practicing daily changes the brain’s chemistry and increases emotional strength. Statistics show that there are around 200 million yoga practitioners all over the world, out of which more than half are of Indian origin. You might get confused between yoga and exercise. Well, the main difference is that it involves the practice of slow dynamic movements whereas, exercise is the practice of rapid forceful movements. Yoga affects your internal organs and helps in detoxifying the body. However, one out of five adult yoga practitioners has reported at least one adverse effect in their practice. So, perform it under proper supervision.

Types of Yoga

There are four classical types of yoga. Each of these balances and strengthens the next type.

1. Bhakti Yoga: It is recommended to emotional people to attain the realization of God.
2. Jnana Yoga: It is the yoga of knowledge of Brahman and Atman and the realization of their unity.
3. Karma Yoga: It is the yoga of work and the result of the work as a spiritual offering.
4. Raja Yoga: It is the royal path of meditation. It maintains control over our territory of the mind.

10 Important Yoga Poses

1. Child’s Pose: It stretches your lower back, hips, thighs, and, ankles. This pose relaxes your spine, shoulders, and neck
2. Downward-Facing Dog: This strengthens your arms, shoulder, and back by stretching your feet.
3. Plank Pose: Planks strengthen your core, shoulders, arms, and legs.
4. Four-Limbed Staff Pose: It is a variation of plank pose which strengthens your arms and wrists, and tones your abdomen.
5. Cobra Pose: A back-bending pose that strengthens your back muscles and increases the spinal flexibility.
6. Tree Pose: This improves your balance and strengthens your core, ankles, calves, thighs, and spine.
7. Triangle Pose: It increases mobility in the hips and neck. This helps build strength in the legs.
8. Seated Half-Spinal Twist Pose: This increases your flexibility in the back by stretching the chest, hips, and shoulders.
9. Bridge Pose: This stretches the muscles of the back, neck, and chest. It strengthens your back.
10. Corpse Pose: This is the ending pose of the sessions which helps in relaxation. It is a meditative state.

Benefits of Yoga

1. Enhances flexibility: It stretches your muscles, reducing the stiffness of the body. The study proved that by practicing yoga for 8 weeks, flexibility increased by 35%.
2. Develops strength: Practicing it improves muscle tone and builds core strength in the abdominal muscles.
3. Improves posture: By strengthening your core muscles, the body posture automatically improves.
4. Benefits in breathing: it poses the regulation in breathing which provides relaxation.
5. Reduces your stress level: Some yoga use meditation which helps in attaining calmness.
6. Boon for the heart: It lowers your blood pressure which reduces the risk of heart diseases.
7. Reduces weight: It poses burns the extra calories in your body by sweating resulting in weight loss. 
8. Increase your sex drive: It improves overall sexual satisfaction. It also helps you to get better sleep at night.
9. Increases your blood flow: It helps in better circulation of blood and enables more oxygen flow in the blood. It also boosts levels of hemoglobin.
10. Regulates the adrenal gland: It lowers the levels of cortisol, which boosts the immune functions.

Bottom line

The increase in the enthusiasm for practicing yoga amongst the population has resulted in the expansion of the healthcare industry. It is increasingly been used as physical and mental therapy. It helps in the overall development of your body. This is different from aerobic activities like cycling, swimming, etc. but the benefits of this are no lesser than those. International Yoga Day is celebrated on 21^st June which aims to spread worldwide awareness about the benefits. So, if you want to stay healthy and fit, this can be the best method.