THE PRINCIPLES OF YOGA
More than 250 million people practice Yoga in the world. As a global discipline of the physical, mental and spiritual, yoga can be defined as the uniting of the universal self or the deep, spiritual and divine essence of man (brahman) and the individual soul (atman). Which could be summed up by the relation of man to the universe.
For a good practice of yoga we must follow the following principles:
Relaxation
Through relaxation, we release our body from all the tensions it has accumulated and allow the energies to flow smoothly. The goal is to bring our body to a state of relaxation and inner peace. Relaxation is a preparation of the body so that it can be at our service in the best possible conditions. Physical relaxation is essential if one wants to perform yoga exercises correctly and thus reap the benefits.
Yoga postures (asanas)
As we constantly seek in our daily activities, we owe it to him to maintain it! Yoga is exercised through postures, called asanas . Asanas are special positions, in which it is possible to remain long, comfortably and without tension.
Asanas often draw inspiration from the nature or positions taken by animals in nature (which explains why yoga postures often have animal names) because they spontaneously understand the benefits of certain positions. Practicing the asanas softens the body, stretches it, improves the nervous balance, the blood circulation, the exercises are carried out slowly for a maximum of concentration and consciousness.
Breathing
Breathing and breathing exercises (pranayama) hold an essential place in yoga because breathing is intimately linked to postures. All yoga exercises coordinate and adjust to the breathing. The breathing is done mostly by the nose and must be deep and regular. Inspirations, expirations and breaks without breathing must be stalled on the movements. Proper control of your breath allows you to control and regulate your mind and dispenses its beneficial effects on the body. With a good breath, the body relaxes, the mind calms down, the energy flows and one feels well-being and appeasement
food
Poor nutrition has adverse effects. For a good yoga practice, the diet should be light, natural, healthy and balanced. You have to eat in small quantities and when you are hungry and not to fill an inner void or to compensate for stress or annoyance with food. By helping us control our emotions, Yoga makes us aware of what gives our body good, what it needs and what is good for its health.
Meditation
The practice of yoga is not limited to physical exercises, meditation also has a very important role. It not only allows you to control your emotions and restore the harmony of the body and mind, but also to improve your concentration and thus increase your intellectual abilities. You can meditate in different ways, by breathing exercises or particular postures, by focusing your attention on sounds, images, colors … You can do meditation with a body scan, breathing or thinking.
3 – THE GOOD REASONS TO PRACTICE YOGA
Yogis would be more than a million in France. More than one million people are in search of physical and mental well-being and harmony with their surroundings and sing the praises of the benefits of this practice. What are they really? What are the reasons that cause so many people to indulge in this discipline?
Why practice Yoga?
Here are the good reasons why so many people practice yoga:
- Yoga is accessible to all , it can be practiced by children, adults and the elderly, but also by pregnant women and some patients.
- It is a physical activity that is practiced in depth and gently, without aggression for the body . While some sports are too violent and can hurt the body, Yoga is relaxing.
- There are many different types of yoga, more or less dynamic, so it is easy to find a Yoga adapted to the goal of each .
- Yoga practice teaches how to breathe better . A good breath helps to better manage emotions, letting go and soothes the nervous system.
- Yoga helps to channel energies and improves concentration skills .
- Yoga deepens and strengthens muscles , joints, relaxes, strengthens, tones and eliminates risks to health, back pain, for example, or other problems …
- Yoga teaches us to be in the present moment, allowing us to be connected to our own body. With yoga we learn mindfulness , how to be more connected, more present in ourselves and the universe.
- Yoga facilitates digestion
- It helps to sleep better because relaxation and meditation prepare for sleep.
- It helps to fight against anxiety , stress and calm because breathing helps reconnect the body to the mind and hunt for negative ideas.
- It is also an excellent way to maintain the brain because the practice of Yoga restores energy to our neurons
- Yoga restores self-confidence by helping to feel good in one’s body.
A yoga style for everyone
Depending on your goal you can opt for different forms of Yoga , here are some of them:
Ananda is a yoga that is practiced gently and relies on meditation
Anusara is a yoga with postures that require a strong alignment? It is played in a fun way
Ashtanga is an athletic and very dynamic yoga practice
Bikram is a practice of yoga in a room heated to 40 °
Fly Yoga , we follow postures installed in a hammock
Hatha yoga is a postural and respiratory practice
Iyengar practice that focuses on technique, alignment of the body and the correct posture
Kundalini is practiced mainly sitting focused on meditation
Vinyasa is an athletic practice combining breath and exercises
