International Yoga Day: Yoga is a mind-body practice that has been practised in India for over 5,000 years. It is a holistic practice that promotes relaxation and stress relief while also improving physical and mental health. Yoga consists of a series of postures (asanas), breathing exercises (pranayama), and meditation. Yoga, viewed through the lens of Ayurveda, represents a holistic system aimed at harmonizing body, mind, and spirit, and promoting health and balance.
4 Tips For Promoting Emotional Health With Yogic Practices:
Maintaining emotional health is crucial for overall well-being in today's fast-paced world. Yogic practices offer a holistic approach to nurturing mental and emotional stability. These non-invasive, non-pharmacological practices integrate breathwork and meditation - helping individuals reconnect with their inner selves, cultivate self-love, express gratitude, and build emotional resilience. Here are five practical tips for promoting emotional health through yogic practices suggested by Dr Ishan Shivanand, who is a mental health researcher and the Founder of the Yoga of Immortals (YOI) meditative program
- Reconnecting With Your Inner Self:
Building a healthy connection with your inner self is fundamental for emotional stability. It allows you to offer yourself a better quality of life and enables you to support others in an improved capacity. Yoga-based meditative modalities are a combination of meditative, breathwork, and awareness practices that include variations of inhalation and exhalation practices coupled with visualisation techniques. They improve resilience and help alleviate stress and anxiety.
How it helps: Deep breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, promoting relaxation and reducing the stress response. This practice encourages a deep connection within, enabling a sense of calm and emotional balance.
- Cultivating Self-Love:
Having regard and respect for oneself is vital for emotional well-being. One can begin the practice of self-love by sitting in a quiet place with closed eyes, visualising the sensation of sending unconditional love to each part of your body. This practice nurtures empathy and counters negativity, which can contribute to burnout.
How it helps: By focusing on self-love and compassion, you can enhance your self-esteem and emotional resilience. This practice shifts your mindset from self-criticism to self-acceptance, promoting overall mental health.
- Practising Gratitude:
Expressing gratitude can significantly shift your focus from stress to serenity. While being thankful can be nurtured as a lifestyle practice, one meditative practice could be - with eyes closed, finding time to radiate gratitude to your colleagues, workplace, loved ones, and the entire universe. Mindfully choosing to disconnect - for appreciation of what’s already in our buckets can help release supportive hormones that build contentment and relief.
How it helps: Gratitude practices have been shown to improve emotional well-being by developing a positive outlook. This shift in focus helps reduce stress and enhances feelings of happiness and satisfaction.
- Addressing Cognitive Needs
Practising interventions that regulate the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems can be effective for emotional stability. Meditative practices can help the nervous system enter a nonjudgmental state of heightened or complete awareness. This promotes relaxation, rest, and digestion, counterbalancing the stress response.
How it helps: Meditative practices activate the parasympathetic nervous system, enhancing emotional stability. Techniques such as Pranayama (breath control), Dharana (intention setting), and Dhyana (meditation) promote balance and harmony within the individual.
Benefits Of Yoga For Overall Physical Wellness:
By fostering a harmonious connection between body and consciousness, yoga not only strengthens muscles and improves flexibility but also supports emotional stability, mental clarity, and spiritual growth, ultimately leading to a balanced and healthy life, In this regard, Dr Chaitali Deshmukh, an Ayurvedic consultant at Birla Ayurveda shared several key benefits of yoga for physical wellness:
- Improves Flexibility and Balance:
Yoga asanas focus on stretching and lengthening muscles, which enhances flexibility. Improved flexibility reduces the risk of injuries by ensuring joints and muscles can move through their full range of motion. Additionally, many yoga poses require balance, which strengthens stabiliser muscles and improves overall balance.
- Builds Strength:
While yoga is often associated with flexibility, it also builds strength. Many yoga poses require holding positions that engage various muscle groups, leading to increased muscle tone and strength development, especially in the core, arms, legs, and back.
- Enhances Respiratory Function:
Pranayama, or yoga breathing exercises, focus on deep, controlled breathing patterns. This practice improves lung capacity, strengthens respiratory muscles, and enhances oxygen intake. Better breathing contributes to overall stamina and endurance.
- Promotes Cardiovascular Health:
Certain styles of yoga, such as Vinyasa or Power Yoga, involve continuous movement and flowing sequences. These practices elevate heart rate, improve circulation, and promote cardiovascular health, similar to aerobic exercise.
- Supports Joint Health:
Yoga gently lubricates joints through movement and enhances their flexibility and range of motion. This can be particularly beneficial for those with arthritis or other joint-related issues, as it reduces stiffness and discomfort.
- Aids Digestion:
Specific yoga poses can stimulate digestion by massaging abdominal organs, improving blood flow, and enhancing the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. This can help alleviate digestive issues such as constipation and indigestion.
- Boosts Immunity:
Regular yoga practice has been shown to boost the immune system by reducing stress levels, lowering inflammation, and promoting overall well-being. The combination of movement, breathing techniques, and relaxation fosters a healthier immune response.
- Manages Weight:
Yoga can contribute to weight management by increasing metabolism and promoting mindful eating habits. Certain styles of yoga, coupled with a balanced diet, can support weight loss and maintenance efforts.
- Improves Posture:
Many yoga poses emphasize alignment and awareness of posture. By strengthening core muscles and promoting spinal health, yoga helps correct and maintain good posture both during practice and in daily activities.
- Enhances Mental Clarity and Focus:
The meditative aspects of yoga, such as mindfulness and concentration techniques, promote mental clarity, focus, and cognitive function. Regular practice can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, improving overall mental well-being.
- Facilitates Relaxation and Better Sleep:
Yoga incorporates relaxation techniques that calm the nervous system and reduce stress hormones like cortisol. This relaxation response prepares the body for better quality sleep, aiding in recovery and overall rejuvenation.
Supports Overall Well-being:
Beyond physical benefits, yoga cultivates a sense of inner peace, balance, and harmony. It encourages self-awareness, mindfulness, and acceptance, fostering a positive outlook and enhancing overall quality of life.
Quick Yoga Routines For Mornings, Lunch Breaks, And Evenings:
Anupriya, who is a yoga practitioner, and a volunteer with Isha Foundation shared how she incorporates yoga into her daily routine. She also spoke about the other things that she includes in her regime to make her practice more fulfilling.
She said, "In my daily routine, I begin each morning at 4 AM with a ritual that sets the tone for the day ahead. Starting with a sip of hot water, I prepare neem and turmeric balls and also consume overnight-soaked black pepper in honey, which helps alleviate cold-related ailments and clears blocked nostrils. This routine creates a conducive atmosphere for my Sadhana, enhancing the transmission of energy evenly throughout my body. Alternatively, I opt for ash gourd juice infused with lemon, black pepper powder, and honey—a nutritious drink known for its significant health benefits."
"Following these morning preparations, I engage in two essential yoga practices: Shambhavi Mahamudra Kriya and Shakti Chalan Kriya by Sadhguru. These kriyas play a vital role in keeping me energised for the entire day, improving my focus, and enabling me to remain calm and resilient regardless of external circumstances," she went on to add.
Talking about her dietary habits, she said, "They are aligned with the principles of positive pranic foods, emphasising fruits, chickpea salads, green vegetables, lentils, and curd. Many of my meals are enriched with curry leaves and coriander leaves, and I enjoy dishes like upma, pancakes made from various lentil and cereal grain flours, Poha, and Idli with Sambar, among others."
"During the busy afternoon hours, I rejuvenate myself with buttermilk enriched with generous amounts of coriander leaves, mint leaves, and curry leaves. Amidst my packed schedule, I take a 15-minute break for Shoonya meditation, requiring a somewhat empty stomach condition. This meditation serves as a powerful booster, revitalising me and enhancing my productivity for the rest of the day," added Anupriya.
"Evenings are dedicated to winding down and further nurturing my spiritual practice," Anupriya continued to say, adding, "Dinner typically around 7 pm includes a balanced meal of salads, chapati, dal or Sambar, and green vegetables. At 9 PM, I engage in another session of Shoonya meditation for 15 minutes, followed by a deeper practice of Samayama meditation lasting 30 to 40 minutes. After completing these sessions, I ensure to take a shower before retiring to bed."
"Before 2021, I had not fully embraced yoga as a part of my lifestyle. However, following my initiation into Shambhavi Mahamudra by Sadhguru, yoga and meditation have become integral to my daily existence. They have profoundly transformed my life, providing me with balance, clarity, and a deep sense of inner peace that now shapes every aspect of my day," Anupriya concluded.