When asked about why people do yoga, a modern common answer is to be flexible, to do cool Instagram-worthy poses. Although it does make your body flexible and strong for you to get those five hundred likes, yoga goes beyond the physical. It is also a spiritual practice.
The word Yoga (or yuj) is Sanskrit for “to join” or “to unite,” which relates to the unity of the body, mind and spirit and their interconnectedness or oneness. Yoga is an ancient practice and its origins can be traced back five thousand years to Northern India. The practice is a vital religious part of Hinduism and Buddhism. There are different schools or types of yoga, such as Hatha, Ashtanga, Bikram and many more.
Each school focuses on the combination of various Asanas, meaning poses, and breathing techniques such as the Ujjayi breath. Yoga traveled and reached the West by Indian monks who introduced the concept to various countries.
It is estimated that 300 million people around the world practice yoga. The rise of the practitioners has even led to businesses such as yoga studios and yoga wear.
The physical benefits of yoga extend not only to flexibility, strength, cardiovascular health and balanced metabolism. But it also improves fatigue, chronic pain, bowel movements and asthma.
The health benefits also extend to the health of the brain, meaning that yoga reduces depression, anxiety and stress. A study shows that yoga prevents the brain’s gray matter from shrinking as we age and protects the left hemisphere, which is often associated with positive emotions, elevating and boosting joy. Moreover, yoga practices help build new neurological connections increasing cognitive capability and memory. It has a plethora of benefits for each person.
Alexandr Hakobyan, 21, has practiced yoga since he was 13. His school of yoga is Ashtanga which is more of an athletic form of yoga focusing on breath and strength where each Asana is held for a longer period. Alexandr reflects on the physical benefit as mainly being an increase in stamina and endurance. He opens up about his experience of being able to “unlock” part of his body. For him, yoga is about “knowing your body, understanding how it works and expanding the limits.” It is bringing the mind and body in sync.
“Synergy, that’s the word I like to use,” Alexandr says. He later continued on how sometimes our souls are away from our physical bodies but through yoga, we can feel the merging of the two. “You are used to having so little of your soul in your physical body, it feels like something more comes back than there was before,” he explains, “It is still you but it is more of you.”
Yoga helps you connect with yourself, the mind, body and soul become one. You become more of you. Moreover, whoever practices yoga usually does meditation as well to practice mindfulness. In fact, holding different Asanas can lead you to dive into a meditative state. This state helps you reach transcendence; experience beyond the normal state and boundaries. Yoga makes you feel grounded and present to enjoy the only moment that exists – which is now. It is not only about the physical benefits and the cool poses, though those are great as well.
Now, the meaning of yoga has changed for some, either fortunately or not, and it has taken different forms turning it into a trend on social media platforms. This is neither good nor bad but the true meaning of yoga is about spirituality. Or you can create your own meaning. So, roll out your mat and go within!
