Yoga, the term originating from Sanskrit meaning ‘yoke’ or ‘union,’ is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual activities or practices that have been practiced in India for centuries now. A 5000-year-old body of knowledge, it originated in ancient India with the motive of controlling and stilling the mind, handling pain, and coming out of sufferings through basic day-to-day rituals. Yoga has also been stated as a disciplined method of attaining any goal in life. It is all about harmonizing the body via various asanas, pranayamas, and meditation. Yoga also acts as a meditative process of self-discovery and liberation and expands and sharpens our consciousness to connect with nature and our surroundings providing us greater access to our own inner abilities like self-awareness, acceptance, patience, gratitude, love, and kindness.
History
From the “Upnishads of Rigveda” to the “Sutras of Patanjali,” the benefits and importance of yoga have been highlighted in various parts of Indian history. Not only did yoga find its priority in India, but also yoga has been one of the highlights of Indian culture, internationally. Yoga is profoundly practiced all around the globe due to its health benefits. It has even become a global phenomenon in the last few decades. From healing people physically to mentally to emotionally, yoga has made it to the list of most effective ways of treating people along with all the scientific and medicinal techniques and procedures.
The main branches of Yoga
There are six primary branches of Yoga. Each one of them deals with different goals to be achieved to lead a healthy life.
1. Raja, also known as the royal path, focuses on meditation practices.
2. Karma, the path of action, focuses on action and service in daily life.
3. Jnana, the path of knowledge, focuses on discriminative wisdom and self-inquiry.
4. Bhakti, the path of devotion, mainly focuses on devotion to God.
5. Tantra, the path of ecstasy, focuses on ritual and initiation.
6. Hatha, meaning the forceful path, focuses on the energy and movement of the body.
Importance of yoga to deal with daily stress and high levels of anxiety: –
In today’s day and time, every class, group, and age of people deal with stress and anxiety and most often they do not even recognize that which eventually keeps building
up leading to clinical depression and sickness. It has been scientifically proven that yoga helps to deal with mental and emotional sickness in the most non-complicated
way. Just taking out some time off our daily routine can help us fix all our vulnerabilities and present us with the gift of inner peace and sanity.
Yoga is proven to boost mental and physical relaxation, which by calming us helps to reduce stress and anxiety. The physical postures promote flexibility, release tension, and alleviate pain.
Yoga poses also help to release physical blockages like muscle knots, thus helping the release of emotions and tension. They also promote the release of endorphins, which are known as the feel-good hormones that can positively affect how we handle stress.
Focusing on the present moment during your yoga practice enhances your awareness, boosts your concentration, and centers your mind. When your self-awareness grows, it motivates you to see the brighter sides of things, promoting a positive attitude toward life.
As you become aware of the transitory nature of your bodily sensations, thoughts, and feelings, you may find it easier to let go of attachments to positive, negative, and neutral experiences. You may also learn to cultivate feelings such as love, joy, and serenity naturally without carrying any weight or blockage in your mind.
Conclusion
As per reports, yoga has been declared as an additional and complementary medicine that can lower the need for the consumption of prescribed drugs. According to a test in 2020, eleven minutes of yoga every day has proven to reduce stress levels in adults. Enjoying the practice of yoga can bring major positive and beneficial changes in our lives.
