LIVE IT UP WITH YOGA

Acute gastric reflux with a heavy dose of medications turned my life upside down. My desire to find natural ways of healing made me research and try simple yoga techniques. The assurance from the teacher of complete recovery was enough for me to start practising yoga asanas, pranayama, and mindful meditation. I recovered from the disease and no longer use any medication. Improved quality of life is an added benefit for me. 

The yearning to be fit and healthy is on everyone’s agenda, and it is good to get motivated by famous personalities who are live examples of yoga as a form of keeping fit and healthy. Even though Patanjali I considered the father of Yoga and Yoga-Sutras. Shilpa Shetty’s yoga videos became a rage in the nineties. The contemporary form gets inspired and influenced by Patanjali’s ways, evident from the multi-billion dollar global wellness industry based on yoga. Consistent practice of a few minutes of yoga postures can bring calm and wellness into our stressed modern life. Yoga has moved from the realms of yogis to today’s youth, where some have made it into a profession. Whether the ancient practise or modern form, it is a synonym with health and fitness and will continue to evolve as a codified practise within the lucrative wellness business. 

Yoga has trained me to breathe accurately, honour my body, relinquish what no longer serves me, and stay present in the moment. It is where every cell of the body evolves to be wholesome and sings a melodious tune for the soul.  

Pre-determined notions about yoga stop many to derive its benefits. Working on yoga poses constantly gives you flexibility and strength. Concentrating on your breath and the yoga poses is the perfect cocktail for calmness and serenity. There is a sense of clarity that dawns on you to make the right decisions in any aspect of your life. Yoga requires discipline which soon becomes a habit and the discipline ebbs and flows in other spheres of life too. Once you start practising yoga and see the benefits, you want to eat healthy to remain fit thereby making a lifestyle change. Yoga brings flexibility to our body after a constant period of practising the asanas. Your lung power increases and gain stronger balance reducing the chance of injury from a fall. Along the way, you learn to be an observer who responds to a situation. So challenge yourself for a month and see the difference in yourself. It will transform you inside out. Go out there fit in what works for you in your schedule, keep it short and regular, create a ritual, and stay accountable and consistent to reap the benefits. 

Yoga has made me more disciplined, pursue my purpose in life and wake up happy even if I haven’t slept well. Mindful meditation helped me heal the pain of a broken wrist, and my creative skills have enhanced befog imagination. It was easier to overcome the grief of the loss of my father to make peace with the idea of a life without him and celebrate his life. It is also a great stress buster. A few minutes of breathing exercises followed by my favourite asanas never fail me. Vajra asana after a meal keeps my acidity at bay. Whenever indigestion bothers me, I do not go for an antacid, I sit down in Vajra asana and practise some anulom vilom and I can feel the acid moving down refreshing me completely. Some asanas before sleep, like yoga nidra ensure a good night's sleep anytime. Yoga nidra allows one access to deeper levels of consciousness and a pathway to mediation, a powerful tool for self-discovery and metamorphoses of our beings. 

Every day is a new day. Start with a few deep breaths and feel the magic as it unclogs your mind while stress flies out of the window. Lower heart rate and stable blood pressure are the visible physical benefits. So whether you are excited or hassled, pause,  take a deep breath, and persist for a while to see a difference. It is the beginning of getting into holistic well-being via yoga.