Yoga And Meditation: Practice, Purpose, And Benefits
Yoga as meditation has become nothing short of a revolution. It has brought remarkable changes to everyone’s lifestyle.
It has been known to be an effective way of encouraging your mind to rest and your body to recharge. Through the practice of yoga and meditation, you will enhance both of your abilities to concentrate and to relax.
By simply maintaining a specific position, with eyes closed and muscles stretched, you can improve overall wellness by keeping your body, mind and spirit in perfect equilibrium with nature.
Several studies support that this feeling of mind-body nirvana is not just a momentary sentiment, but rather an indication of real physical responses that lead to better health and body strength.
The Practice And Purpose
The word, “yoga”, is derived from the Sanskrit “yuj” — which literally means “union of individual consciousness with the divine”. Most people think of yoga only as a physical exercise where practitioners twist, turn, stretch, and breathe in most complex ways. But it is only the tip of the iceberg.
Yoga is a profound practice of unfolding the infinite potentials of human mind and soul. It is a discipline of right living and it works when integrated in our daily life. It works in all aspects — physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.
By definition, meditation means “to reflect upon, ponder, or contemplate”. The word meditate comes from the Latin “meditari”, which means to think about or consider. In Yoga, meditation means the actual experience of interconnecting with every living thing or a state of pure consciousness.
With yoga, you learn to listen to your body in order to feel calm, grounded, and healthy; you understand your body more by finding your natural limits and healthy boundaries — as you improve core strength, flexibility, and balance.
Health Benefits Of Yoga And Meditation
Improved Strength and Flexibility
Yoga movements mainly focus on stretching and lengthening the muscles. Meditating involves sitting still (or maintaining a position) for a period of time. Doing these increase strength and flexibility which will help you with daily functional movements like lifting and bending.
Increased Awareness
Yoga and meditation helps you to be more aware of the body, which assists with the overall process of developing mindfulness.
Positive Emotional Boost
Yoga and meditation improves mental focus and provide a general feeling of well-being. It provides a positive emotional boost through deep relaxation, and it can be done anywhere.
Better Relaxation and Calmness
Yoga and meditation help promote a deeper awareness of the body and of its muscles. After the session, you will notice a feeling of optimism accompanied by mental clarity and calmness.
Better Diet and Nutrition
Practicing yoga and meditation improve fitness and general health, leading to better eating habits. This in turn leads to increased self-esteem and the desire to care of the body.
Effective Stress Management
Yoga and meditation is the perfect antidote to the hectic lifestyle. They are effective stress busters and great means of managing anxiety, depression and panic disorders. Plenty of physicians right now are recommending yoga as complementary therapy.
Boost Immunity
There is a considerable amount of evidence that yoga and meditation can decrease cardiovascular risk, rapid heart rate and high blood pressure.
Improves breathing
Some form of yoga and meditation focus on breathing which can help bring more oxygen to the blood and brain.