Yoga

  Yoga is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciousness untouched by the mind and mundane suffering . There is a wide variety of schools of yoga, practices, and goals in Hinduism, and traditional and modern yoga is practiced worldwide.

 

How can we improve our life by doing yoga

 1.Improves your flexibility

• Improved flexibility is one of the first and most obvious benefits of yoga. During your first class, you probably won’t be able to touch your toes, never mind do a backbend. But if you stick with it, you’ll notice a gradual loosening, and eventually, seemingly impossible poses will become possible.

 2.Built muscle strength

• Strong muscles do more than look good. They also protect us from conditions like arthritis and back pain, and help prevent falls in elderly people. And when you build strength through yoga, you balance it with flexibility. If you just went to the gym and lifted weights, you might build strength at the expense of flexibility.

 3.Perfect your posture

• Your head is like a bowling ball—big, round, and heavy. When it’s balanced directly over an erect spine, it takes much less work for your neck and back muscles to support it. Move it several inches forward, however, and you start to strain those muscles. Hold up that forward-leaning bowling ball for eight or 12 hours a day and it’s no wonder you’re tired. And fatigue might not be your only problem.

4.Prevents cartilage and joint breakdown

Each time you practice yoga, you take your joints through their full range of motion. This can help prevent degenerative arthritis or mitigate disability by “squeezing and soaking” areas of cartilage that normally aren’t used. Joint cartilage is like a sponge; it receives fresh nutrients only when its fluid is squeezed out and a new supply can be soaked up. Without proper sustenance, neglected areas of cartilage can eventually wear out, exposing the underlying bone like worn-out brake pads.

5. Increase your blood flow

Yoga gets your blood flowing. More specifically, the relaxation exercises you learn in yoga can help your circulation, especially in your hands and feet. Yoga also gets more oxygen to your cells, which function better as a result. Twisting poses are thought to wring out venous blood from internal organs and allow oxygenated blood to flow in once the twist is released.

    

  # Best yoga poses

• 1.Squat (Malasana) 
• 2.Four-Limbed Staff Pose (Chaturanga Dandasana) 
• 3.Extended Triangle Pose (Utthita Trikonasana )
• 4.High Lunge. 
• 5.Supported Bridge Pose (Salamba Setu Bandha Sarvanana) 
• 6.Camel Pose (Ustrasana) 
• 7.Head-to-Knee Forward Bend (Janu Sirsasana) 
• 8.Reclining Supported Twist.
• 9.Savasana Pose

10.Todusana

11.Surya namaskaar

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• How yoga changes your mentality
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Karma yoga (service to others) is integral to yogic philosophy. And while you may not be inclined to serve others, your health might improve if you do. A study at the University of Michigan found that older people who volunteered a little less than an hour per week were three times as likely to be alive seven years later. Serving others can give meaning to your life, and your problems may not seem so daunting when you see what other people are dealing with.

Best Yoga Books To Read

            .Book 1: A Chair for Yoga

 

• Book 2: Props for Yoga I: Standing Poses



• Book 3: Props for Yoga II: Sitting Asanas

  

• Book 4: Yoga and seven chakras

                       

     Yog Nagri Rishikesh

This city is the home to the annual International Yoga Festival which is held in early spring and this festival attracts yoga enthusiasts from across the world.

The holiest place for Hindus where the sages and gurus practiced the art of Yoga for decades. Rishikesh is one with a rich community of reputed yoga gurus. Some of the most reputed gurus who practiced here are Guru Vashishtha, Jatawale Baba , Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. Also Adiguru Nilkantha, Swami Shivanand, Swami Dayanand Saraswati, and various other spiritual idols.

Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self. - Bhagavad Gita. Humans and the stress of their modern busy lives create the need for internal peace and self-discovery. This Yoga Day let's vow to include yoga in our lives for yoga is an ultimate solution to all our issues. Some feel yoga is just a physical activity but in truth, it's a lifestyle that encompasses physical, mental and even spiritual health.