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Gateway to Yoga and Meditation World
Improve your vitality, immunity, brainpower, flexibility and balance between body mind soul through Yoga and Meditation. This is the best scientific preventive cure for your physiological, mental and psychological wellbeing. The USA and other countries have made Yoga and Meditation mandatory in educational institutes. Help your children sign in life through Yoga.
Origin of yoga & meditation
The term ‘Yoga’ has been derived from the Sanskrit word, ‘Yuj’ which means union. It can be explained as the union of the mind and the body to achieve perfect harmony at the most profound level. It helps us to reach a higher level of consciousness, through a transformation of the psychic organs. Yoga has no specific religious connotations. Its appeal is universal and is practiced by many. Practicing yoga improves balance, endurance, flexibility, and strength of the bodily organs, while meditation helps keep the mind sharp, relieves stress and anxiety, and can strengthen your immune system. It creates assimilation of body- mind- soul with Nature, eventually mingling with Transcendental Wisdom.
According to PÄṇini, a 6th-century BCE Sanskrit scholar, the term Yoga can be derived from either of two roots, Yuji Yoga (to yoke) or Yuj samÄdhau (to concentrate). In the context of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the root Yuj samÄdhau (to concentrate) is considered by traditional commentators as the correct etymology. Vyasa who wrote the first commentary on the Yoga Sutras, states that Yoga means samÄdhi (concentration).
For the saints, the ultimate goal of Yoga is moksha (liberation). For the common man, it is the costless way to maintain a balanced body- mind and soul.
According to Jacobsen, Yoga has five principal meanings:
- Yoga, as a disciplined method for attaining a goal;
- Yoga, as techniques of controlling the body and the mind;
- Yoga, as a name of one of the schools or systems of philosophy (darśana);
- Yoga, in connection with other words, such as "Hatha-, Mantra-, and Laya-," referring to traditions specializing in particular techniques of Yoga;
- Yoga, as the goal of Yoga practice."
Declaration by UNO on yoga
On 11 December 2014, the 193-member United Nations General Assembly approved by consensus a resolution establishing 21 June as "International Day of Yoga". The declaration of this day came after the call for its adoption as International Day of Yoga by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his address to UN General Assembly on 27 September 2014. In suggesting 21 June, which is one of the two solstices (either of the two times in the year, the summer solstice and the winter solstice, when the sun reaches its highest or lowest point in the sky at noon, marked by the longest and shortest days), as the International Day of Yoga, Narendra Modi had said that the date is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and has special significance in many parts of the world. The first International Day of Yoga was observed world over on 21 June 2015. About 35,000 people, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a large number of dignitaries, performed 21 Yoga asanas (Yoga postures) for 35 minutes at Rajpath in New Delhi. The day devoted to Yoga was observed by millions across the world. The event at Rajpath established two Guinness records – the largest Yoga Class with 35,985 people and the record for the most nationalities participating in it—84 nations.
Functions & benefits of yoga & meditation
Yoga meditation is an exercise program that includes stretching and exercises that use deep breathing to bring peace and tranquillity. While it’s true that one can meditate without performing Yoga, Yoga on the other hand always involves some form of meditation. There are many different styles, forms and intensities of Yoga that one can practice. Yoga is not a one-size-fits-all type of exercise. The beauty of Yoga is that anyone at any age, including the elderly, can practice this ancient art. Yoga is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India. Yoga as exercise is a physical activity consisting mainly of postures (asanas), often connected by flowing sequences called vinyasas, sometimes accompanied by rhythmic breathing (pranayama), and often ending with relaxation (lying down in savasana) or meditation. It has been practiced for more than 5,000 years.
Yoga for Vitality
Very few people even know why Yoga and meditation are inseparable and most important innovations by humans for a balanced body mind soul. Most people think it’s just “Stretching”. But very few ever really stop to think about the health benefits of Yoga. Yoga is a practice that anyone of any age can complete anywhere at any time. The mind and the body become balanced with each other, giving one a sense of enlightenment. Depending on the requirements of each person, one can choose different combinations. Yoga benefits a person not only physically, but also mentally. Yoga also helps maintain one’s youth and vitality. Yoga exercises help to control, purify and coordinate the nervous system. Doing Yoga regularly rids the body of toxins, thereby improving general health. It also rids the mind of impure impulses leading to contentment and inner peace. Yoga makes the body flexible, fit and strong if it is done regularly. While we do Yoga most of our organs are active, work smoothly and Yoga exercises are the best to be fit than going to the gym. Because Yoga improves the functions of the internal organs, while Gym expands the external muscles. And also, Yoga makes our body fit by doing it regularly. Many gyms are nowadays offering Yoga classes to their members as well as Yoga-specific studios which are popping up across the countries.
Meditation for stress control & concentration
Meditation is a simple way of freeing the mind, forgetting about daily anxieties and focusing on mental relaxation. Going into a meditative state involves learning to become a passive observer of one’s thoughts. It does not mean suppressing them or attempting to force them to disappear. Meditation is the process of continuous focus on one object for a prolonged period of time. It is a gentle, subtle method that does not require any force or pressure on the mind. The result you gain out of the practice is increased concentration and focus.
Just like developing any other skill, meditation requires regularity of practice. There are common misconceptions that meditation is something difficult, which requires years of practice to achieve any kind of result. This is simply untrue. Meditation is a mental discipline by which one tries to attain a deeper state of relaxation or awareness. It involves focusing one’s attention on a single point of reference. It is an important part of many religions and it is practiced outside religion as well. Meditation may be used for different purposes.
Need for yoga and meditation
In today’s world, many people are suffering from the stress and anxiety of day to day living, and are finding themselves unable to cope with life’s little emergencies. Prescription drugs are on the rise due to the increasing need for people to deal with their stress, anxiety and tension. However, many people are searching for ways to be less stressed and live a happy, healthy and productive life without drugs.
Teenage is a part of life when there are lots of things going in life- like school, tuitions, exams, sports, etc. leading to lots of stress. As a result, mental health disorders commonly develop in the teenage years. Yoga may serve a preventive role in adolescent mental health. Adolescence is an important time for the development of mental health, including healthy coping responses to stress. It is very important to deal with this in the right manner.
Meditation and Yoga can contribute directly to improved mental focus and concentration among students. Most forms of meditation include an increased focus on breathing techniques. It includes long, deep, slow breaths, as well as coordination of mental concentration with some kind of structural activity, such as yoga poses, breath patterns, chanting, or even gazing at a specific point.
For a completely healthy bodily function, both Yoga and meditation are of great importance, practising Yoga can improve the physical as well as mental health of an individual whereas meditation provides peace of mind and control over the body. One can become more aware of your emotional, mental and physical health.
Yoga and meditation help to keep away a lot of health problems. There are problems like obesity and uneasiness in breathing that are related to the weight and are very common among the students. Practicing Yoga regularly can help in weight management as fat metabolism is increasing which causes increased calorie burn.
Benefits of yoga and meditation
Yoga and meditation are not just a “trend” made popular by social media. The practice of Yoga and meditation has been around for a few millenniums in India and for centuries in the Western world. Yoga is not only a practice of physical exercise which is beneficial to the body but at its core, has a meditative and spiritual grounding. Practicing Yoga is known to improve flexibility, balance, endurance and physical strength, while meditation helps to keep the mind sharp and clear, relieves stress and improves overall well-being.
If one suffers from persistent back pain, the practice of Yoga just once or twice a day for a year can help with relief from pain and discomfort. Stretching exercises and poses as well as increased core strength helps improve flexibility and agility of rigid muscles, alleviating lower back pain. The present authors have been able to permanently cure spondylosis, migraine and tonsillitis by Yoga and meditation. While the last thing on one’s mind may be a Yoga class when suffering from a hangover, Yoga is one of the best ways of the detoxing body. Certain poses including the “plow pose”, “bow” and shoulder stand help to activate the thyroid gland, which in turn kick starts your metabolism, ridding your body of toxins. Yoga also helps with blood circulation, helping to bring body and mind back to its fresh self.
Nowadays, many people tend to over-medicate themselves and build up mountains of harmful toxins inside their systems. While the pain of a migraine can be totally unbearable, Yoga is a great exercise to help prevent and fight them off. Probably the most beneficial aspect of meditation has to be its ability to help millions of people across the globe manage their stress. Regular meditation reduces stress responses in the brain throughout the day. Inflammatory responses to certain external stressors become trained to react in a more calm and relaxed manner. Ultimately, this means that the more you meditate, the better you can become at handling stress. In turn, the management of stress levels helps to reduce high blood pressure and the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.
Most people understand that meditation reduces stress and promotes peace of mind. As you allow your mind to settle on one continuous thought, instead of being pulled in all directions, your stress level reduces. Other health problems like high blood pressure, irregular or high heartbeat, high pulse rate, abnormal breathing patterns, and anxiety also are regulated.
Mindful meditation has become a popular practice in today’s world and age in successfully managing depression. Mindful meditation reduces negative or critical thinking, which leads to dysfunctional or harmful beliefs. Additionally, meditation helps in the management of anxiety. Our lives are constantly barraged by external pressures – work, school, children, financial responsibilities, debt – the list goes on. This is where the relaxing effects of meditation can help manage those external pressures.
Meditation raises grey matter in the brain
Meditation is also known to increase levels of grey matter concentration in the brain. Meditation is a great aid in regulating your mind. The mind’s tendency is to think a lot and to be easily pulled in different directions depending on our personal likes and dislikes. When you pay attention to every unnecessary thought, you are drawn away from what is truly important. Practicing meditation helps you to gently ignore what is unnecessary and focus more on what is important. This gives you greater clarity and makes you faster and more capable of anything that you do.
During the meditation process, where we are constantly focusing our attention on one thing, we learn to let go of unnecessary thoughts. Meditation is a process of spending time with you and is a journey of self-discovery. By understanding ourselves, we are able to build our emotional resilience and tap into our inner intuition. Daily struggles and irritations will no longer impact you, as you remain centered in yourself and the present moment.
One who is committed to balancing her/his mental energies is also a lot more energized. The positivity that you develop in your mind will give you the zest and enthusiasm to maximize your productivity throughout the day. When you feel calmer and happier, your relationships with people around you grow stronger.
If practiced regularly, Yoga and meditation can yield some progressive results that can be immensely helpful for the students as well as for other people in general. Some proven studies have revealed that Yoga and meditation essentially have a biochemical effect on the body that resembles the benefits of antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications, and thus help a lot to remove mental tension. For example, Shirshasana increases your grey matter in the brain immensely.
