Experience a new way of Life with YOGA

Yoga - An art that is not only a complete physical workout but also has the ability to transform you. Yoga has become a synonym for a workout that energizes body and also nourishes soul. Though this art originated in India but due to its numerous benefits, today it is being practiced in almost every part of the world. Even corporate world has understood its importance in today’s stressful lifestyle; hence many multinational companies keep yoga sessions for the benefit of the employees.

Practicing yoga is simple and very easy. It can be practiced literally anywhere, on the floor, while standing and also while you are sitting in your office. There are poses/ asana for everyone and for every problem. The benefits of yoga do not end here. To mention a few benefits:

-          yoga slows down the process of aging due to which the effect of age is hardly visible on your skin

-          Lifts up your spirit and provides you with unmatched energy

-          Increases blood circulation in the body

-          Improves skin texture

-          Makes you flexible

-          Relaxes your mind and body

-          Brings a balance in your actions and thoughts

Apart from the above benefits, every pose/ asana has its own hidden benefit. Honestly speaking anti-aging ability of yoga motivated me to practice it regularly. But once I started, I realized that yoga is not about how you look, instead it is about how you feel.

Breathing correctly is extremely important in yoga. You must be confused when I say ‘breathing correctly’, isn’t it? Our lungs are like air bags or balloons. So when we inhale our chest should expand, and when we exhale our chest should contract. If you pay attention, some people are breathing the other way around. Correcting this process only will heal a number of ailments in a person.

The first lesson of yoga is to breathe correctly and in a controlled way. This corrects breathing problem and also strengthens your respiratory system. It is also important to note that in every pose/ asana, one has to always pay attention to ones inhalation and exhalation.

It is believed that when we inhale, we are taking in positive energy and when we exhale, we are letting out our negative energy. That is the reason we feel so fresh, positive and light after a yoga session, because it is the negative energy that weighs us down.

Yoga is such a vast subject and art form that it is difficult to discuss everything together. We will keep learning about yoga from time to time. Beginners please do not try too hard. If a pose is causing any pain, please release the asana slowly and always learn about a pose before you start practicing it.  

Heal your Soul

Facebook has suddenly changed the definition of social networking. One of my friend’s facebook status is “Should our decision be based on others happiness or on our own?” He got many responses. Some favoring the former while the rest favored the latter. What do you think should be correct answer? Or is there a correct answer for such kind of a question?

Many times people come across such questions at some point in their lives and there is no correct answer. Each of us has our own dreams, desires, passions and wants. But factors like family, compulsions, priorities etc force us to modify those dreams and we end up achieving something entirely different. My friend is one of those people who have been sacrificing his own happiness for the will of others from a long time. This continuous process leads to a state where you feel a vacuum inside and we start to question your own self.

But this realization is a positive sign as it is the first step to bridge the gap between us and our happiness. After all, the real happiness is not outside but should be searched within. I agree that this sudden realization is disturbing, but as sometimes we need a jolt to become aware of our surrounding, we also need a jolt to become aware of the damage that is being caused to our soul.

We cannot bridge this gap until we start accepting things. Acceptance of situation, acceptance of people as they are, and acceptance of the fact that you cannot make everyone happy.

Take a very small group say of ten people. Even in such a small group you cannot make everybody happy. If you work for the happiness of five people, then the other five will be unhappy. So stop trying to please everyone because that is impossible. Accept people as they are. You will not only find peace but will also realize how worked up you always were in the process of pleasing others.

Finding peace is easier, but the important thing is to defend your peace when others are eager to disturb it. In this world where almost every second element is ready to give you stress, it is vital to maintain your peace of mind and work diligently. The easiest way to do this is to be aware and be in full control of oneself. Controlled damage will not only help you to realize your positive attributes, but will also help you to add value in other spheres of life.

Experiences help us to understand our weaknesses and strengths. Incidents happen in our lives, more important is to learn and move on. Any experience is good as long as we emerge as a better person in value, knowledge and strength. No one else can heal our hidden wounds but ourselves. Give yourself little time to reflect on your acts and understand how you could have emerged out of the situation in a better way. If something bad has happened then learn from the incident and let it go.

Stop searching happiness outside because real happiness is hidden within us. Find peace and happiness will find you.  

Balance of Nature

It has always been believed that human body is made up of four elements: Air, Water, Earth and Fire, and when we die we turn into these original elements. With the passage of time and excess workload we do not get enough space to take care for ourselves. The advantages of technology has several disadvantages too which we barely notice. We hardly remember any of our contacts these days, while there was a time when we used to have minimum 10-15 numbers stored in our mind. We do not have enough physical workouts these days because most of have sitting jobs and most of our works are done by machines. Result…? We put on extra pounds almost every week and take months for us to lose the same. Heart diseases, diabetes and other ailments are so common among people that we would be shocked to find someone without any disorders.

What should be the answer to these problems? In this busy world where we cannot turn our backs to our tight schedules, do we have any chance to make a positive change? The answer is yes because whenever there is a problem, there is always a solution.

Of course we cannot escape from our daily chores but we can always modify few things that would prove more fruitful. Let’s get back to the nature and find a cure in those four basic elements which made us.

1-      Air:

Get up early morning. Instead of hitting the gym, go out for a jog or do Yoga or meditation. Breathe freely and feel the difference of the fresh air. This will purify your lungs, will increase oxygen flow to your brain, and will keep you fresh and positive the whole day. Yoga is not only a complete physical workout but is also concealing the energy which helps in anti-aging process. Walk barefoot on the cool grass covered with the morning dew. This will not only rejuvenate you but will also make your eyesight better.

2-      Water:

More that 70% of human body is water. So water does not only purify our body by removing the toxic wastes but also is a great source of oxygen. Drink lots of water to purify your digestive system. This will also keep your skin glowing and will maintain moisture balance. Take bath with luke warm water to remain energetic. Wash your face with plain water 4-5 times a day. This will keep you fresh and will also not let oil and dirt clog your skin pores.

3-      Earth:

Earth is not only source of our food but also is the source of many minerals contents essential for our body. Eat organic fruits and vegetables. If organics fruits and vegetables are not available then keep then soaked in salted water for at least 20 minutes so that all the chemicals and pesticides are washed off. Try mud packs for your skin and hair. They have natural minerals and cooking agents. In many places even today mud packs are used to heal skin diseases.

4-      Fire:

Fire has been symbol of might, purity and life. Use fire to cook food instead of using oven and microwave. While cooking, cook in low heat and cover the vessel. This will not only trap the heat inside for quicker process but will also not let the vital nutrients escape because of the heat. Too much of heat easily makes elements like iodine evaporate as soon as we add salt to our preparation. Same thing happens with the nutrition of our food present in form of moisture. Cooking food in a covered vessel will not let this happen and you get more nourished food with amazing flavors which will be new for you. Using iron vessel for cooking will help you to get iron in your body. Just remember to transfer the food from the iron vessel to a regular dish when you have finished cooking.

Always remember that there is balance in everything. Just like there is land and water, males and females, day and night. There is also the balance of problems and solutions. It is just that we are too busy to find that natural balance.