Yogi Himanshu
Couch potato and lazy bones are no longer part of urban colloquial language and have become quite common. With the nature of jobs fast changing, physical work in day-to-day activities is coming down.
Penetration of technology has given rise to a sedentary lifestyle resulting in so many common diseases. This not only increases people’s out-of-pocket health expenses but also limits the growth potential. Post-Covid the importance of health has come to the fore. Once a person is physically constrained or crippled, his/her mental ability also gets impacted.
In no time, there is a chain reaction and the person feels so negative and helpless in worst cases.
Yoga can not only rescue people from falling in the abyss but considerably improve one’s potential to grow multi-fold in life. A person just needs to set aside a little time and have patience to see the wonders. Patience is important because yoga is based on a holistic approach to keep body and mind healthy. It does not seek to bring instant results. It does not inject anything from outside but builds inner capability to fight with ailments. It removes impurities so that not only the body is healthy but thoughts are also equally healthy.
Initially, the journey on the path of yoga is challenging. After years of sedentary life and wrong postures, it requires a little extra effort to keep oneself moving. It needs a lot of challenging to the body and one should prepare oneself mentally. Otherwise, there are chances of the person giving up after just a few days of enthusiasm. Since benefits of practicing yoga start coming only after a while, patience is required to reach this stage. Then at least 10-15 days of continuous work is necessitated as habit formation takes at least 10-15 days of work.
After 15 days, one generally starts feeling inner awareness of the body. He or she becomes mindful of his/her body movements and postures. Soon, yoga becomes part of the daily routine bringing far more efficiency in work and satisfaction in life.
Unlike popular perception that yoga is meant for putting the body in shape, it actually goes far beyond it. The inner awareness it creates about the body and mind helps one to become mindful of all actions. The way we eat, the way we talk, the way we think and the way we lead our lives. By doing so, it brings meaning and richness to life.
Once you get out of the vicious cycle of unhealthy habits, you find yourself not only reformed but with a lot more joy and happiness. With improvement in both mental and physical strength, one can attain even the trickiest of goals. The discipline, the resilience, the lifelong healthy habits that one develops with yoga goes a long way.
Yoga is the perfect way to keep oneself fit especially at a time when stepping out of the home and going to the gym is not plausible for everyone given the ongoing pandemic. Not only lifestyle diseases can be kept at bay, but also depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, breathing issues can be things of the past if one includes this healthy way of living in the routine.
(Author is a well-known yoga teacher and Founder of Himalayan Yoga Association, Rishikesh)