Yoga – The totally Lifestyle Guide

Stress is nowadays, the single most significant reason for medical problems that we face. In a study done on 46,000 people over six years, it has been exposed that 75% to 90% of all visits to the doctor are stress linked. Most of these problems can be done away with if proper emotional and mental guidance is a part of the lifestyle routines. People do appreciate the value of physical workouts but few realize the consequence of a healthy mind and positive emotions. We are not just what we look like or feel actually, our health is also about what we believe or do not think, or feel.

When we face emotional stress, adrenalin pours into our blood stream and our muscles get tense, sensing the need for a fast response. For short terms this can cause fatigue and exhaustion, but over long periods, this could be the cause for unceasing ailments.

This link between physical well being and emotional health was thoroughly studied by ancient Indian wise men, who were the fathers of Yogic, Yogic philosophy and even Ayurveda. The idea has reached the western cultures only recently, but Yoga has always been a proponent of healthy mind- healthy body. This be the reason why in Hindu lifestyle, meditation and `Dhyana’ in many forms, is an important part of everybody’s routine, love is one such form. Sitting at a clean place, with one’s thoughts focused lying on a hymn or just an representation of one’s trust…even a blank wall, does a great deal to get one closer to calm for the mind…and what else is the accomplishment of happiness in human life?

Ancient yogis unspoken that every human looks for but one thing in life ….happiness. Each person has a different way of achieving or even understanding it. They understood human psyche enough to know that this mission for happiness is brought on by an experience of pain, or dissatisfaction with the present state of affairs. In most cases, turning away from reality and escaping into a make-believe world of physical pleasure make available temporary relief, and people usually settle for that – a mere shadow of the happiness they came to look for. Yoga shows us the path for a permanent sense of happiness. It is basically teaches that a healthy being is a musically integrated unit of healthy mind, body and spirit. Good health on the whole requires simple food, usual nutrition, exercise, fresh air and a mind at calm with itself and the world. Some like to take it a step further by linking peace to being one with God…but still on a human level, serenity is enough.

Thousands of years ago, Yogis in ancient India knew that nature’s laws are so made that every being should evolve, not only physically, but also emotionally. As we follow this path that nature intended us to take, we make ourselves competent of breaking away from the trap that we make for ourselves – that of pain, then more desires, followed by still more pain. This can be done by largely controlling the mind. Antics similar to hypnotism are really only showmanship for this mind-control…nothing comes even close to the control of the human mind if fully utilized. All that a person needs to do is to be able to separate chaff from the real grain, the dust from the gold in our journey of experiences, and embrace the valuable emotions, while discarding the superfluous ones. We need power of concentration to achieve this, and this power can be had from control over one’s breathing, focusing and not allowing the mind to stray. Human mind has the tendency to dwell on unimportant issues, leaving the important things by the wayside. By controlling our breathing and thus our focusing power, we can control our thoughts, focusing on positive ones and discarding superfluous traps for our emotions. This ensures a much smoother flow of positivity in our system. Coupled with physical exercises, these emotional activities make sure great peace and physical physical condition as well. In Yoga the reward for control over one’s mind and body is greater happiness, a sense of purpose and well being – everybody’s ultimate goal.

But biologically speaking, how does this happen? To understand the mechanics of Yogic control and well being, we require knowing that there are two nervous systems in the body, the sympathetic and the parasympathetic. The first is the nervous impulses that tense our body, readying it for a fight. These raise our blood weight, quicken our breathing, put stress on our heart and make us sweat. This is the nostalgia of our cave dwelling days, when one had to fight or flee for survival, but today our body reacts like this with a looming deadline, a traffic jam or a high powered interview. A prolonged exposure to this side of our nervous system is sure to give us cardiovascular disease, hypertension, ulcers and migraines in the long run.

The parasympathetic nervous system is the cooling down mechanism. It slows down gulp of air rate and directs more blood away from our muscles to our vital organs that give us the superiority of life – stomach, gall bladder, reproductive and resistant systems. When our breathing is regulated, slow and steady, the parasympathetic nervous system takes over, allowing the body the vital blood flow, necessary to help our body heal from the battle scars of daily living.

Stable, regulated breathing, an action when we are aware of, leads us to stay linked and focused on the there moment, not worrying about the past or fretting about the future, but in quiet with today. In the attitude of Yoga, today is of prime significance, everything else is only stressful and living in the moment eases all kinds of stress.

In its eight fold path, Yoga ensures a supple spinal chord and properly functioning endocrine gland. Regular yoga helps to keep the blood free of toxins, the secretions of hormones to be balanced, so that the mind and body are balanced too. Exercise positions, or Asanas stress on deep breathing techniques that unwind the movements and help improve attentiveness of cerebral energy.