My mother suffered from severe Migraine for many years, and tried every medicine and treatment in the book and any other options she heard of. It was the most stressful time of her life; but in the end, she was rescued by Pranayama, which is the formal practice of controlling the breath.
Many of us would have heard of such stories about Yoga and its benefits for both Physical and Mental well-being. Some of us might have even tried it at some point in life. But how many have actually made it into a routine? Very few… we are so busy with Social Media these days, that our own health has become secondary for us. However, do you know Yoga is actually an addiction for many? Why? Because its regular practice provides benefits like improved flexibility, stress reduction, mental clarity and many other benefits.
I try to do my bit every weekend by attending a Yoga session at Gayatri Chetna Center in Piscataway. It’s an hour long class that is free of cost and I have been attending it religiously for the last one year or so. An additional benefit is I get to visit the temple, which my mom is so happy about.
The session normally starts off with a Prayer followed by body warm-ups. The best way to do that is through Sun Salutation (also called Surya Namaskar) which is a combination of 12 poses. It is a great workout for the whole body and includes stretching, flexing and toning the muscles, and is an excellent exercise for weight loss. It leads us to meditation also by relaxing the mind.
Once we are through the basics, we do multiple poses (or asanas as they are normally called). These include stretching, balancing, forward and back bending, twisting and many more in both standing and sitting positions.
The benefits of all these are numerous.
On the Physical side:
- Our body becomes more Flexible. Also, with our sedentary lifestyle, we need these exercises to loosen up our sore muscles.
- It builds up Strength as a result of which Muscle tone also increases and weight loss is much faster.
- Helps in Balancing, which helps as we age.
- Pain prevention, helping with arthritis in a major way.
- Better Breathing, thus avoiding certain types of allergies.
Even Mentally, we derive many benefits including Mental calmness, Stress reduction and becoming aware of our Body, thus leading to greater self-confidence.
We also do some Pranayama, which is the source of our prana, or vital life force. For those who are familiar, we cover Alternate Nostril Breathing, Frontal Brain Purification and Bumblebee Breath. What follows is a period of short relaxation in Corpse Pose (shavasana).
In the end, we practice Yoga of sound by chanting 3 sounds of Om. Om is considered the monarch of all mantras. Expert Yoga teacher Adrian Cox explains, “When you chant OM with the right understanding, it becomes a powerful yoga practice in its own right…Chanting OM creates detachment and empowers all mental and spiritual processes. It can take you all the way to deep states of yoga, if you have good concentration.”
I feel so relaxed after this class that I look forward to it.
I suggest if you want to live a blissful life, practice Yoga. Just doing Sun Salutation alone five times in a day has innumerable benefits. And, it’s our body after all!
Such a great reminder that yoga is super beneficial. Thank you for this clear information. Glad your family enjoys good health.
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Thank you so much and welcome here 🙂
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This is a very informative post. Thank you for your visit to my site. Travel safe on your path 🙂
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Thank you so much, Julie.
You’re welcome here 🙂
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🙂
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Beautiful post Alok… Elaborate and insightful…
As you rightly pointed out, yoga has also helped people with ailments recover – something which few thought was possible…
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Very true, Vishal.
It is a great way to enjoy life too 😊
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Very enchanting! Thank you for again visiting the Enchanted Blog.
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You’re welcome and Thanks to you too 😀
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Very well written post! I agree Yoga is the most benefical – better than lifting weights or doing aerobics as it is for long term! Glad you go to the classes. I do my bit twice or thrice a week at home 🙂
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Good to know about your workout, Gauri.
I like it so much, but need to put in more time.
Thank you for visiting.
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We should take care of our bodies. Yoga does help 🙂
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Very true…hope we can only understand and implement 😀
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In our fast paced lives where we don’t seem to have time for anything, Yoga seems to be the perfect medicine to relax our senses and help us stay fit.
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Absolutely. That’s why after this article, I started a bit of daily routine too apart from the weekend one mentioned in the post.
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very nice portrayal of yoga’s benefits.. inspired to try
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Yes, you should and then thank me 😀
Jokes apart, it will better your life.
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What an informative post. Thank you! I will dust off my yoga mat and get back into it. You have reminded me of how beneficial yoga is and how much I used to enjoy it! Good health to you and to your family.
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I am so glad to hear about your association with Yoga…hope you get be with it (again) soon 😊
You’re very welcome, Katherine.
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I enjoyed this wonderful post. I am sure there are benefits to this practice we are not even aware of. And, our body is the source of intuition, so it pays to listen to it 🙂
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Absolutely, one can remain fine throughout life just by doing Yoga of all sorts.
Thank you 😊
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It makes me so happy when others share the power of yoga. It can be such a simple yet transforming experience. Thank you for your story!
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You’re very welcome, Amanda…this feeling is mutual 😀
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😉
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I love this! Especially the title of “Blissful Yoga”. So very true the wonderful benefits of the practice! Thank you for sharing 🙂
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You’re welcome, Reeanna.
Yoga is indeed a wonderful gift of God!
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Do they have anything specific to help people alleviate anxiety, Alok? One of my friends is suffering from deep anxiety and I have been asking her to join some Yoga or meditation class. My husband attends meditation sessions but those are a little far from where we live. Piscataway is close by. May be my friend will go there.
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I would suggest meditation and breathing exercises…it is a slow process and needs commitment. It surely helps though!
Rest, one can check-out YouTube videos.
Btw, we should meet sometime…we seem to be neighbors 😊
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I have suggested her the same but I don’t know why she is not doing it. Her problems are just increasing it seems and being a friend I feel so helpless and worried. Will check on youtube and share with her. Thanks….and yes we should catch up one of these days. 🙂
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Unless we put in the effort, we can not get rid of our problems – as blunt as this may sound, it is the truth!
You’re welcome…sure, will plan!
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Your post has actually inspired me to practice yoga and I can’t deny the facts you mentioned above 🙂
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It sure is heavenly…start and reap the benefits!
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That sure was an informative post and a reminder for me. On it right away 🙂
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Great…i am sure you will enjoy it 🙂
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I love Yoga as well. Apart from walking, I cycle to yoga and that makes me feel so good. Have you heard of Yin Yoga? I learnt about that in my yoga class one day and wrote about it. Check out when you get time – http://happinessandfood.com/microblogmondays-yin-of-life/
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Great, good for you 🙂
Will check out yours now!
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Wonderful post and great to see how beneficial it has been for you!
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Thank you…i advice everybody to follow Yoga, to the extent they can!
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Its the one addiction that’s beneficial. I’m addicted too. A day feels incomplete & I feel uneasy if I forego yoga.
To add, its benefits include hormonal balance (whether thyroid, pancreas or genital organs) as also core strength buildup. Its truly a wholesome exercise.
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I agree fully.
Btw, the first and last Its should have been It’s (read as It is) ☺️
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Ah, yoga plus grammar. 🙂 Thank you for the guided tour.
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No problem, you are not the only one. I posted that status because many of us don’t know about it!
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Word has autocorrect which converts all my Its as It’s. Honestly, it’s nice to know the correct usage. (Used it right now, didn’t I?) 🙂
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Yep…it’s is short for it is.
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Thank you. Life is a learning curve.
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Wonderful post. I can vouch for the healing properties of yoga. I was suffering from mild asthma as well as joint pains. By practicing yoga regularly, I completely got rid of asthma, and my joint pains are also much better. Thanks for sharing.
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well written post
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Thanks!
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