How Yoga Positively Affects Your Body and Mind

Yoga can mean different things to different people who invest in its unique healing practice. Yoga has been around for hundreds of years, and recently a shift in our society has made yoga a popular practice again. Whether someone is practicing yoga for spiritual healing, physical healing, or just because they enjoy it, yoga provides an answer to anyone. ‘Yoga’ by definition means “union”. This union comes from the relation of body and mind becoming one. When practicing yoga the overall goal is to connect the body into the mind and vice versa. By doing this a special connection can occur resulting in peace and harmony. Yoga can also be understood as a spiritual discipline. Rooting back to 2700 B.C. Yoga, being widely considered as an ‘immortal cultural outcome’ of Indus Saraswati Valley civilization. Once getting into one wave with the body and mind, the yogi can give thanks and appreciation to the world. This connection can let the yogi identify and find their self among their suffering. They may also connect with their associated religion. This could be the time for one to come closer and give appreciation to God. (Basavaraddi)

The first yogi of this practice is found to be Shiva. He was found practicing what he referred to as spiritual healing in the Himalayas. He carried acquired knowledge of the practice and formed the “seven sages”. These sages he introduced across the eastern world but mainly focused in India. In India there are markings and fossils left behind to show proof of the practices. Many followers of Shiva took over his works after his passing. Stronger development of yoga become more known through the years due to their well-documented practices and literature. The Classical period between 500 BC and 800 A.D has become the most prominent and most blooming period of the full development of Yoga. Credit is given to two teachers, Mahavir and Buddha. They came with the concept of “five great vows, Pancha mahavrata by Mahavir and Ashta Magga or eightfold path by Buddha, can be well considered as early nature of yoga sadhana”. In an explanation in Bhagawadgita, its shows the concepts of Gyan yoga, Bhakti yoga, and Karma yoga. These methods of yoga seem to be the highest levels of peace a human can experience when practicing yoga. Mind and body can benefit greatly when exercising these teachings. Later a more contemporary style of yoga came announced. This era, most people have a different idea about the preservation, maintenance, and health promises yoga brings. Yoga can me therapy to some and express their voice through health strengthening poses. Yoga now is not associated with any type of religion although most hindus use to practice it more than other religions. It is the past’s technology for wellbeing and relief of pain and suffering. There are also many schools of yoga that others can attend to gain immense and further knowledge.

Health Benefits

Yoga is for health and wellness purposes. The practices are: “Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahana, Dharana, Dhyana, Samadhi/Samyama, Bandhas Mudras, Shat-karmas, Yukta-ahara, Yukta karma, Mantra japa, etc.” Yama means restraints and Niyama means to observe. Pranayama is the practice of concentrating on the individuals own breath. Breathing exercises are used to calm down the body and clear the mind. It is important to keep a constant flow of the in breath and the out breath through the nose and out the mouth. Later this movement will be more important to maintain when going through different positions. Holding the breath for an amount of time and releases are that amount to complete empty the lungs helps open up the throat of the yogi. Dyana is the practice of meditation and gives the yogi to focus on only the inside of the body and mind. (Basavaradd)

Yoga is more than just a mind relaxer, it also tones and sculpts the body. Yoga can focus on at least 4 main body part to tighten. Core is used greatly in yoga. Most poses are only completed if a slight core muscle is used. This can be tightened doing planks, up dog or down dog positions. Any floor exercise like boat pose or superman holds will also help tighten. Next is arms, most exercises use the yogis own body weight to build muscle. Although some yoga classes and practices do involve light weights just to give a little extra weight to the yogi. Crow poses, handstands, and pushups will challenge the yogi’s arms. Also legs are worked doing side angles, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd warrior poses will work into the yogi’s quadriceps, hips, and thighs. Glutes are tightened by yoga squats, bridges, wheel, and other poses to give a more sculpted rear. Finally, the yogis back will become much more toned and flexible. Child's pose, cat and cow and side stretching help open up the lower back and can relieve back pain. Yoga falls into different categories for exercising as well. Mostly it is used for flexibility to give the yogi full range of motion in their bodies. It is also aerobic depending on the different style of yoga the yogi partakes in. Yoga can become a very tiring exercise and get the yogi sweating. Strength is used in yoga. It takes a lot of strength everywhere in the body to regularly practice, just like the areas mentioned above. Yoga can also be a very low impact exercise which makes it great for all individual who would like to reap its benefits. All the individual has to do is find a style that is great for them and stick with it. Yoga changes so frequently with so many styles it's easy to switch it up day after day and still find a great workout that anyone can do. Another great thing about practicing yoga is that really no equipment is needed to perform. A mat is recommended to perform the tasks without out harsh impact from the floor. The more cushion the mat brings the less pain comes to joints and muscles. Yoga can be difficult on certain joints and sometimes age can be a factor but not always. I personally have developed knee pain because of passed down genes. The mat really helps comfort me and allows me to perform yoga as I would like. Yoga also uses your own body weight to build muscle. This can be much more difficult than lifting weights. Yoga can also be improved or allow more variation if a block is used to balance on. Also straps and tiny weights can be used if the yogi wants more of a challenge on top of what they are doing.

“Yoga is a great activity for someone if they have diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or heart disease. It gives someone strength, flexibility, and mind-body awareness. They also need to do something aerobic: walking, biking, or swimming if they not doing a fast-moving type of yoga. If someone have high blood pressure, diabetes, or heart problems, ask your doctor what you can do. You may need to avoid certain postures, like those in which you're upside down or that demand more balance than you have right now. A very gentle program of yoga, coupled with a light aerobic activity like walking or swimming, may be the best way to start. Yoga can help you stay flexible and strong without putting added stress on your joints. You get the added benefit of a mind-body approach that can help you relax and energize. If you're pregnant, yoga can help keep you relaxed, strong, and in shape. If you're new to yoga or have any health or pregnancy related problems, talk to your doctor before you give it a try. Look for an instructor who's experienced in teaching prenatal yoga. You'll need to make some adjustments as your baby and belly grow and your center of gravity shifts. After your first trimester, don’t do any poses that have you lying on your back. And don’t try to stretch any further than you did before pregnancy. Your pregnancy hormones will loosen up your joints and make you more likely to get injured. While you're pregnant, avoid postures that put pressure on your belly or low back. Don't do 'hot' yoga, where the room temperature is very high.” (Watson).

Personal Experience

This brings me to my next topic of my personal experience with yoga. I have never been intrigued by practicing yoga before. I grew up participating in strenuous sports like basketball competitive and non, softball, track field, and gymnastics. In recent years to stay in shape I would visit the gym at least 4 times a week performing cardio and strength training exercises. I would also go to a couple of classes that offered different training. I liked this method of gym training but I eventually started to become bored with the routine. My friend was going to the yoga classes offered at the CPA at ETSU. I would go a couple times a week, but felt no improvement in my training. I did enjoy the part of being able to relax and lay there with no thoughts pressing onto me, although this peace didn't last very long. The poses felt very easy with no real effort given. The poses were very beginner which was fine for the first time, but every class began to feel this way. I felt like I wasn't getting anything from the yoga class, so I stopped going.

Recently within the past 6 months, one of my friends mentioned going to this yoga studio that had just opened up in Johnson City. The yoga studio offered the new and trendy “hot yoga”. My friend said that she got an amazing workout and sweat from this and felt so much better after the class, and I had to try it. Reading up on the new trend of doing hot yoga, I wanted to try it at least once. So one afternoon I convinced my mom to come to a class with me and us try it out to see if it really was all that. Going in, you first have to sign paperwork due to any injury you might encounter due to the heat or any other reason. I paid no attention to the paperwork and me and mom went right into the 105 degree temperature room. Immediately our breath was taken away and almost had to walk out for a minute because the heat took us for such a surprise. The instructor reassured us that if we came in and just laid down on out mat that we would feel ease very soon. In a 12x12 room, gathered 20 individuals mat to mat laying down, breathing easily beside each other. The class we had went to was Ashtanga Vinyasa, which was mostly focused on strengthening and holding certain poses to really feel the pull in each muscle. We both eventually got use to the heat and followed the movements as the instructor performed them. After the class, we were pouring the sweat, buckets of sweat. I never had remembered sweating so much in my lifetime. After this class I was hooked. I came in the next week and signed up for a yearly membership. I go to a variety of classes 3-4 times a week based on my schedule. The studio offers a wide variety of classes to keep the yogi striving and working on a different muscle each time. The vinyasa classes are more of stretching and these classes last for 75 mins with temperatures up to 110 degrees. My favorite is hot 21, systematically compressing and opening the body massages and stimulates organs to rid the body of toxins, aid in digestion, and rev the metabolism. This class can burn up to 600 calories in an hour in a 105 degree room. They also provide HIIT, Buti, and tone sculpt classes to give the yogi a different sense of yoga. HIIT combines creative flows, HIIT moves, and heavy beats all designed to get your heart pumping in 99 degrees. Buti fuses power yoga and tribal dance and plyometric for high intensity workout that transforms the body from the inside out. The tone sculpt class uses resistance bands and small weights in conjunction with small isometric moves to add to classic yoga poses to kick the toning aspect up a notch. This helps one some of the smaller, lesser used muscles making all of your yoga poses stronger to get the max benefit.

I have almost tried all of the yoga classes but I have yet to perfect one. Each class brings me back to wanting more and pushing my body to new limits that I didn't know I had in me. I can get a full work out in and burn at least 500 calories each class. It keeps my blood flowing and my heart pumping and after sitting at a desk most of day during the week. It feels so much better to my body to open it up and take a minute to breath and then get work done. I think everyone should experience Hot Yoga at least or regular yoga. Yoga is something that serves you and only you can decide to partake in that journey. My moods have been brighter and I have a stronger outlook on my future thanks to yoga, I am proud to be a yogi.