YOGA: A Gift For Fitness

Yoga is termed as the most precious gift to the Indian by the ancestors, who discovered the true art to unite the mind, the body, and the spirit. It is a science that has been practised for thousands of years and has spread across the world. Yoga is a centuries-old system of techniques designed to develop the individual’s physical, mental and spiritual health.

Yoga is an ancient Hindu practice to keep the body flexible and attain spirituality that is brought from India. In fact, millions of people across the globe are now aware of the health benefits of this ancient Yoga practice. This is the reason that this age-old physical art is practiced by so many people to remain fit. It is a wonderful art that brings a perfect blend of physical strength and gracefulness in your life.

Yoga can be defined as a routine or fitness education, that involves certain dietary restrictions and prescriptions, physical exercise and ethical precepts and included meditation for mental relaxation. It follows a methodology and ancient technique with specific poses and positions and practices to enhance its healing effects. The practitioners of yoga firmly believes that this discipline is capable of improving his mental and physical performance and reach beyond the standard limits of personal fitness. Many believe that yoga helps in losing weight, increase appetite and rejuvenate you body. However, there is more to yoga than just weight loss and body rejuvenation. The basic importance of yoga is that it helps a person keeping abreast of his or her subconscious mind and offers him or her, the rejuvenation of mind and spirit. If you are not fit, you can not enjoy anything and therefore, fitness plays an important role in rejuvenating you.

The Yogis view that the mind and the body are one, and that if it is given the right yoga guidance and tools and taken to the right environment, it can find harmony and heal itself. Yoga, therefore, is considered therapeutic. It helps you become more aware of your body's posture, alignment and patterns of movement. It makes the body more flexible and helps you relax even in the midst of a stress stricken environment. This is one of the foremost reasons why people want to start practicing Yoga - to feel fitter, be more energetic, be happier and peaceful.

Though yoga is always popularly recognized with fitness and health concerns, the art of Yoga hardly untouches anything on earth. Be it health, weight loss, devotion, concentration, spiritual enlightenment, ego-shedding or beauty, yoga is effective in each of them. Many famous personalities in the health and beauty industry swear on the names of yoga. We have many Bollywood actresses Kareena Kapur, Shilpa Shetty, Mallika Arora practicing Yoga to enhance their beauty and stay fit. Shilpa Shetty says "It's a management system for life and it is the most holistic approch to life that I have ever come across. It strengthens tones and cures. It works on body, mind and soul. Yoga has had a spectacular impact on my life".
Several scientific researches and studies have proved that yoga can help the body function well and the person who practices it also experiences good health, harmony and happiness in his life. It is believed that yoga helps in removal of toxins from the body and increases flexibility of your body making you look younger. The Dog and Cat Pose of Yoga is certainly helpful in gaining flexibility and vigor.

Exercise is for the body and Yoga is for the Mind , Body and your soul.

Yoga brings out various options depending upon your requirements you can choose what you want.
1. There are ‘asanas’ which keep you healthy and flexible.
2. Some ‘asanas’ and ‘mudras’ help in treatment of some diseases.
3. ‘Pranayams’ - breathing exercises- are for treatment as well as general health. some even help in weight loss and general toning. These are also good for depression & mental stress relief.
Yoga consists of a series of physical postures complemented by breathing exercises and healthful eating. Together with meditation and positive thinking it confers literally scores of benefits These can cure many illnesses. A slow and gradual process would help you many ways and make this very simple. The common and simple things you can keep in mind is that, don’t exert yourself, don't bend too much, take your time and do the poses, whatever you do, see to it that these exercises do not cause pain while doing it. Yoga not only has asana but other techniques such as breathing and meditation. It is a combination of all three which are very important. Pranayam is one of the basic exercises which everyone would start with. These are very simple and easy to do exercises. Meditation is also very helpful as it removes your stress and would get you to a place you could hardly know about.

Positive effects of Yoga
In fact, there are several health benefits of yoga. Yoga is a perfect practice to improve your physical as well as mental health. Yoga can enhance the strength of muscles and endurance of respiratory system. It also has a potential to increase flexibility in the body, tendons and restore a healing mental balance. People suffering from arthritis or joint pain can experience a significant decrease in pain by practicing yoga. One can also increase energy levels via this effective physical exercise. Here are some of the other important health benefits of practicing yoga

Balances the heart rate.

Work towards stabilizing the nervous system.

Can balance hormone levels.

Its a great way to normalize digestion.

Helps you “stay regular” by stimulating the digestive system.

Aids weight loss.

Reduces stress and tension.

Tones muscles and increases flexibility, strength, and stamina.

Yoga enhances joint range of motion.

It increases energy level.

Helpful in improving cardiovascular efficiency.

Enhances eye-hand coordination.

Helpful in restoring sleep.

Will promote muscle mass and improve body toning.

Improves circulation, thus reducing acne, the signs of aging, and other skin disorders.

Release harmful toxins from internal organs and boost the immune system.

Teaches, steady breathing, relaxation breathing and other breathing techniques.

There are numerous benefits of yoga and this age old spiritual exercise would help you keep your body health and function properly.
However, with yoga therapy, you can easily discover your inner self, be aware of what is actually going on in your mind and clear your mind of all the accumulated clutter. You can learn to concentrate, dissolve your worries and improve physical disorders with the help of yoga. If taken seriously and practiced regularly, one can feel immediate health improvements, as well as tone the figure and lose weight. There is no perfect time to start yoga. As the wise say “It is better late than never”, you can start yoga as young and as old as you want. Yoga can cure many illnesses and you must trust this age-old tradition to benefit from it.