importance of yoga

INTRODUCTION – The word yoga comes from the sanskrit word ‘YUJ’. The meaning of yuj is different – different accordingly different pictures define yoga in different ways, The sanskrit grammarian Panini in the 6th century said that yoga is ‘YUJ’ which means union , so one meaning is union and another meaning is yoga samadhi so one meaning is samadhi which means concentration and one meaning of yoga is control so there is basic meanings of it. ‘UNION,CONCENTRATION and CONTROL’ so all three are required.

when we say union it means union of individual self with universal self or individual consciousness with supreme consciousness that is one meaning.now before that it is very important first to unite , Unite with people around. we may talk about i merging into the supreme consciousness but if we are not working at the ground level,if we are not talking about the union of i and the others then that connection is far away beyond so.

it is very important to connect,connect at the ground level.it may be i and my parents,may be my friends,may be people of different colors of different cast ,unite being union with them. also one meaning of union is union of the body , union of the breathe and also union of mind,this triangle union of body,breathe and mind actually when it comes together automatically it leads to concentration this concentration is required to reach to the goal of yoga,which is desperate. everyone has this potential to reach to it’s highest. lot of time we aren’t aware of it and even though when we are aware of it we don’t work towards it ,so very important to concentrate to bring the attention to whatever that we do.

it may be simple task of this working, can we work in a concentrated way? it may be simple task of cutting vegetables.can we cut the vegetables in a concentrated way means can i be there in what I’m doing? can i be present automatically when we do this. the third meaning which is control, we can start gaining control ourselves

on our body when we perform postures and also on our mind when we become more aware of how concentrated we are,how United we are. so this three are the important meaning of ‘YUJ’ the sanskrit word yuj. UNION,CONCENTRATION and CONTROL

whenever we bring control on our self, we will be controlling our mind most of the time mind controls us so is it possible that we can control our actions,we can control our speech .when this is done you become one with your self and when you become one with your self you also become one with infinite.

What is Yoga?

 IMPORTANT OF YOGA 

A person doing yoga will move from one posture to the other called Asana. Yoga benefits people who practice it regularly. The form of exercises performed in Yoga is called as ‘Asana’ which are capable of bringing about stability of body and mind. Yoga Asana are the simplest and easiest way to reduce our excess weight and keep fit. ORIGIN OF YOGA Yoga originated in ancient India thousands of years ago, long before the first religion or belief system was born.

It is believed that Shiva is the first Yogi or Adiyogi and the first guru. Thousands of years ago, on the banks of Lake Kantisarovar in Himalayas, Adiyogi shared his knowledge into legendary seven sages as it was hard to put all his wisdom and knowledge in one person.The sages took this powerful yogic science to various parts of the world, including Asia, North Africa, Middle East, and South America. India is blessed to have found the yogic system in its fullest expression.

The fossil remains of Indus-Saraswati civilization are an evidence of the presence of Yoga in ancient India. This presence finds a mention in the folk traditions. It is included in the Indus valley civilization, Buddhist and Jain traditions. According to the studies, Yoga was being practiced under the direct guidance of a Guru and its spiritual value was given a lot of importance.

Sun was given the highest importance during Vedic period and that’s how Suryanamaskar was invented later on. However, Maharishi Patanjali is known as the father of Modern Yoga. He did not invent Yoga as it was already there in various forms. He assimilated it into the system. He saw that it was getting quite complex for anyone to understand it in any meaningful way. So he assimilated and included all aspects into a certain format – Yoga Sutras. The role of breath is very important in the practice of Asana or Yoga positions. Breath is a vital force and our body requirement of oxygen changes depending on our actions.

If we exercise then we require more oxygen hence the breathing becomes faster and if we are relaxing then our breathing becomes relaxed and deep. In yoga, the focus is integrated on breath while indulging in slow movements as well as while doing complete Asana. Yoga promotes smooth and relaxed inhalation and exhalation during the practice. Conclusion Yoga is only partially understood as being limited to Asana. But people fail to realize the immense benefits Yoga offers in uniting the body, mind and breath. Yoga can be opted and practiced by any age group and any body size.

It is possible for anyone to start. The size and the fitness level don’t matter as there are modifications for every yoga asana according to different people.

 Health Benefits of Yoga

• Improves Flexibility
• Increases Self Confidence
• Builds Strength
• Improves Balance
• Reduces Stress
• Increases Muscle Tone and Definition
• Supports Joint Health
• Prevents Back Pain
• Teaches Better Breathing
• Fosters Mental Calmness
• Reduces Stress
• Improves brain function
• Lower stress levels
• Alters gene expression
• Increases flexibility
• Lowers blood pressure
• Improves lung capacity
• Relieves anxiety
• Relieves chronic back pain
• Lowers blood sugar in diabetics
• Improves sense of balance
• Stronger bones
• Healthy weight
• Lowers risk of heart diseases

CONCLUSION-:

Yoga can be practiced by anyone as it is irrespective of age, religion, or health circumstances. It improves the discipline and sense of power as well as provides a chance to life healthy life without physical and mental problems. To enhance its awareness about all benefits all over the world, the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi has suggested to the United Nations General Assembly to declare the 21st of June as an International Day of Yoga so that each and every may know about yoga and can been benefited. Yoga is an ancient Indian tradition which was originated in India and practiced regularly by the yogis to get fit and meditate. By seeing the benefits of implementing the yoga in daily life, United Nations General Assembly has declared the International Day of Yoga to be celebrated every year on 21st of June.

We cannot count the benefits of yoga, we can understand it only a miracle which has been gifted to the human fraternity by the God. It maintains physical fitness, reduces stress, control on emotions, feelings, controls negative thoughts, feeling of general well being, improves mental clarity, enhances self-understanding, connects to the nature and many more.

Credit : Shalini