New Delhi: Stressed lifestyle is the new normal in cities today due to rapid “growth”. The search for Sat-Chit-Ananda or Existence-Awareness-Ananda is the need of the hour. Realizing how cyclical life is, Yoga, Ayurveda and many ancient practices are back in vogue. Yoga is not a means of getting away from a demanding schedule; Rather, it is a means of realizing one’s full potential, uniting with one’s true self and becoming empowered to face life with a clear mind and a positive attitude.
Yoga, one of the most popular trends in the world, started over 5,000 years ago in India. According to yogic history, the first yogi Adiyogi taught yoga to the Saptarishis or “seven sages”. These seven wise sages took Adiyogi’s offerings to various places around the world, helping people find their inner Shangri-La.
Millions of years of evolution have shaped our brains. A brilliant device tarnished by the vagaries of modern-day challenges, it transforms the lens through which we view the resplendent around us.
Yoga is the way to connect with our true, creative, higher self and the universal consciousness that pervades everything around us. The primary goal of yoga has always been to unite and restore perfect balance. Yoga is a state of mind and a way of life, not just an exercise for a flat stomach or great posture.
Nimish Dayalu, CEO of Zoga Wellness and a yoga guru, shares with you three cases where his students got amazing results from yoga when nothing else was working.
Student 1- Road accident- Bedridden for 4 months- Muscular dystrophy, weight gain
Goal- Healthy Body Yoga has many health benefits and with a customized diet and regimen it can work wonders
- Yoga exercises engage the body and mind in addition to strengthening muscles and burning calories. Holding the asana or asana for several breaths builds muscle strength and endurance.
- Postural correction and prevention of pain.
- Better blood flow and circulation, which is healthy for the heart and reduces cardiovascular risk factors such as obesity and high blood pressure.
- Those who do yoga get sound sleep and fall asleep quickly. This is a result of both the post-exercise effect and the exceptionally soothing and stress-relieving effects of yoga.
Student 2 – Loss – Dealing with depression and anxiety
Goal- Better Mental Health: A healthy mind is the beginning of a healthy life. This in turn helps create better overall awareness and mind-body alignment
- Together, focused breathing and light exercise stimulate the vagus nerve, activating the parasympathetic nervous system and reducing anxiety.
- Modalities of movement are helpful in mental relaxation. In yoga, one focuses on walking mindfully or synchronizing movements with breathing to ground their mind in the present. It is a great way to clear one’s mind.
- Yoga practice enhances the mind-body connection and increases self-awareness. Yoga teaches its practitioners how to adjust their alignment with small, subtle movements, thereby putting them more in touch with their physical body, accepting the body in its entirety without judgment. It gradually builds up a sense of comfort in their body and boosts self-confidence.
Student 3 – Genetic Disorders – Deteriorating Health
Goal – Regenerating the brain – Neuroplasticity and Epigenetics: A yogic lifestyle can prevent and in some cases reverse a variety of genetic and chronic disorders
- Our brain uses neuroplasticity to counteract the effects of stress and trauma on our biochemistry. Yoga has been demonstrated as one of the best stress relievers as it improves health by modulating sympathovagal, neuroendocrine and psycho-neuro-immunological balances.
- Mindfulness practices have an effect on the body, through systems that control gene expression known as epigenetics. Genetic changes are possible, consistent yoga practice can be used to influence gene expression to overcome most obstacles
We humans are capable of extraordinary feats. The answers are, sometimes, flowing around us, trying to find us as much as we are trying to find them.
I’ve been looking for happiness for a long time. Now I understand that this search was unnecessary. Our happiness depends on our state of mind. If it knows how to appreciate the beauty around us, then we are truly happy. Yoga provides us this gateway, through which we can lead a happy and healthy life.