The Health Benefits of Yoga Practice for the Body and Soul

New Delhi: A stressed-out lifestyle is the new normal in cities today due to rapid “development”. The pursuit for sat-chit-ananda or being-awareness-bliss is the need of the hour. How truly cyclical life is, with yoga, ayurveda and many ancient practices back in vogue. Yoga is not a means of getting away from a demanding schedule; rather, it is a means of uniting with one's fullest potential, one's true self, and becoming empowered to confront life with a clear head and a positive outlook. 

Yoga, amongst 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 Saptrishis or "seven sages." These seven enlightened sages carried Adiyogi's offerings to various locations around the globe helping people find their inner Shangri-La.

Millions of years of evolution has moulded our brain. A splendid tool tarnished by the vagaries of modern-day challenges, changing the very lens through which we view the resplendent around us.

Yoga is the way to connect with our true, creative, higher self and with the Universal Consciousness that permeates everything around us. Yoga's primary goal has always been to unite and restore perfect equilibrium. Yoga is a state of mind and a way of life, not just exercise for a flat stomach or a large posterior. 

Nimish Dayalu, CEO of Zoga Wellness and a yoga master shares three cases with you where his students had wonderful results from yoga when nothing else seemed to work.

Student 1- Road Accident- bedridden for 4 months- muscular dystrophy, weight gain

Goal- Healthy body:  Yoga has several health advantages and with a customized regimen and diet it can work wonders

• Yoga practice involves the body and mind in addition to strengthening muscles and burning calories. Building muscular strength and endurance are facilitated by holding asanas or postures for several breaths.
• Postural improvement and prevention of pain.
• Improved blood flow and circulation, which is healthy for the heart and it reduces cardiovascular risk factors such as obesity and high blood pressure.
• Practitioners of yoga sleep better and fall asleep more quickly. This is a result of both the aftereffects of exercise and the extraordinary soothing and stress-relieving effect of yoga.

Student 2- Loss- dealing with depression and anxiety

Goal- Improved 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 mild exercise stimulate the vagus nerve, activating the parasympathetic nervous system and reducing anxiety.
• The movement modality aids in mental relaxation. In yoga, one concentrates the mind on moving carefully or synchronizing movements with breathing to ground their mind in the present. It is a fantastic method for clearing 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, putting them more in touch with their physical bodies, to accept the body in its whole without passing judgment. This gradually increases one's sense of comfort in their body and boosts self-confidence.

Student 3- Genetic disorder – deteriorating health

Goal – Rewiring the brain - Neuroplasticity and Epigenetics:  A yogik lifestyle can arrest and, in some cases, reverse a variety of genetic and chronic disorders

• Our brain uses neuroplasticity to counteract the impacts of stress and trauma on our biochemistry. Yoga has been demonstrated to be the best stress reliever since it improves health by modulating sympathovagal, neuroendocrine and psycho-neuro-immunological balance
• Through systems that control gene expression known as epigenetics, mindfulness practices have an impact on the body. Genetic alterations are possible, consistent yoga practice can be utilized to influence gene expression to overcome most hurdles

We humans are capable of extraordinary feats. The answers, sometimes, are flowing all around us, as much trying to find us as we are trying to find them.

I have been in the pursuit of happiness for a long time. Now I have come to understand that this search was unnecessary. Our happiness depends on the state of our mind. If it knows how to appreciate the beauty around us, we are in a truly happy place. Yoga provides us with this gateway, allowing us to live happier and healthier lives.