Yoga For Physical and Mental Wellness

The meaning of Yoga is to connect the Soul with God. Moksha (Salvation), freedom from all types of pain by living a balanced life is the ultimate goal of Yoga. Doing away with mundane and trivial desires arising in the mind is Yoga.

Yoga is a technique through which man exercised control over his physical and mental being, to attain hitherto unachieved states of bliss and to be able to conjecture on God or The Supreme Soul, the Parmatma, and to dwell upon the creation and existence of this world. Yoga offers a path to final Salvation as well as a more temporal kind, temporal in terms of relieving unhappiness, the kind that certainly results from poor health lion pose for sore throat.

The practice or process of Yoga are very beneficial for the maintenance of health. It helps to maintain both physical and mental health, which cannot be done by either taking pills or drinking potions. Yoga helps one overcome mental depression as well as attain equilibrium between body and soul. It increases the capacity to work and benefits the brain by increasing retention power and memory.

Yoga is known as Astanga or eight-faceted Yoga and these eight facets are Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi.

Yama: It stands for Ahimsa, benevolence to all living beings, respect and tolerance and objectivity in all feeling, doing and observing.

Satya (Truth): One must always speak and think truthfully.

Asteya (Abstaining from Stealing): One who overcomes such act is showered with precious stones.

Brahmacharya (Celibacy): It is when the mind fuses with the Parabrahma or the highest level of consciousness. Brahmacharya would include doing away with: thinking about sexual partners, singing about attractions, about ladies, meeting, interacting with other potential partners, other ladies, coitus and voyeurism, viewing entertainment with titillating content, reading books or discussing or viewing material with pornographic content, and Kriya Nispathi.

Rutu Kala: One must not indulge physically with any other than one's lawfully wedded wife or husband and that too only during Rutu Kala, the period which starts on the fourth day after menstruation and ends on the sixteenth.

Aparigraha: Although enjoyable, many things we do and are addicted to, such as some of the foods that we eat, are not good for us and must be given up.

Niyama: It encompasses the five concepts of Cleanliness, Contentment, Penance, Swadhyaya and Ishwari Pranidhana.

Santoshadanuttama Sukha Labha; to be truly happy and contented is a state of mind.

Vidhinoktera Margena Kricchra Chandra Yanadibhi:|

Sareera Soshanam Prahu Stapa Sasta Pa Uttanam||

This advocates leading an austere life.

Karyendrisiddhirasuddhi Kshaya Staasa:|

Practice the Vedas and Mantras of which the Gayatri Mantra is the root, strictly in accordance to the procedure prescribed in the Shastras.

Kamatos Kamatospi Yatkaromisubhasubhi|

Tatsarvam Twayivinyasya Twatparata Yuktaha karomyoham||

One should devote one's soul to God and dedicate one's work to Him regardless of whether one's work brings any material gains.

Samadhi Siddhirswareeswara Pranidhanath|

By practicing Yama and Niyama and the Asanas of Yoga, one is able to gain control of one's body, mind and soul, and thereby gain control over disease.

When the focus of practice is on the Antaratma, the inner spirit of the soul, it is called Hathayoga, and when this focus is on the Atma or one's own mentality, it is called Rajayoga.

To sum up, the Yoga Asanas help to condition the body, the mind and the soul so that one can overcome impervious to disease, but before Asanas may be practice, a suitable state of mental readiness must be achieved.

The practice of Yoga involves the imposition of considerable self-discipline in one's diet and in the activities one pursues. A Satvic diet is advocated for those who wish to take up Yoga as a practice. The practitioner's diet must consist of foods that are healthy and provide strength and well-being, foods of the quality comparable to those that are offered to Gods.

Yoga may be practiced at various levels, and so, it is a beneficial activity. The place for practicing Yogasanas must be clean and airy but not windy. It should not be performed in an unclean or offensive smell area and also never on the roof or in a basement.

Before the conclusion of the session, the practitioner should have work up a light sweat. At this stage, he or she should rub down the perspiration on the body itself before bathing. At the conclusion of a session of Yogasanas, the body should not be exposed to breeze for at least an hour, otherwise it will sap strength. Perspiration should be rubbed down on the body itself, before a bath in tepid or hot water. One should not be on a fast or without nourishment when practicing Yoga. Yoga practitioners should respect and obey God, their elders, the Gurus and parents.