Yoga for the Mind, Body and Spirit…

Bell’s Palsy has motivated me to do a number of new things that I have always wanted to do but never really got around to. Working on achieving a healthier mind and body has been my main focus since I got this condition 2 months ago. Personally, I know this is not merely a freak physical ailment but an external sign of something that is bothering me on a deeper level. I’m still not sure what it is but I know if I can fix my mind, my body will fix itself. I don’t believe disease can live in the body of a person with a healthy mind. The best and most beneficial practice I have recently been acquainted with is definitely Yoga. I have always wanted to get into it but had never made the effort to find a good class or just get myself to start somewhere.

Quite unexpectedly, through the good hearted trainers at my gym, I was introduced to an actual “Yogi” who is not just a trained yoga teacher but a man who has lived with and learned from Sages in India and developed mental and physical capabilities that you would find hard to believe. The first time I met him, he took one look at me and knew about the two ailments I have lived with all my life, namely Sinusitis and acute back pain. The man is tall, extremely lean and very unassuming. He doesn’t try to impress you or show you what he is capable of to try and pull you in. Quite the contrary, he takes his time to observe you and get an understanding of what kind of person you are and then decides how to help you.

I’ve been to his class a couple of times and it has done wonders for me already. I could try and explain the art of yoga in my own words but I want to give you the most accurate description I can find so let me quote a few lines from holisticonline.com… “In practice, yoga is an applied science of the mind and body. Practice and study of it help to bring about a natural balance of body and mind in which the state of good health can manifest itself. Yoga itself does not create health; rather, it creates an internal environment that allows the individual to come to his own state of dynamic balance, or health. Basically, yoga teaches that a healthy person is a harmoniously integrated unit of body, mind and spirit. Therefore, good health requires a simple, natural diet, exercise in fresh air, a serene and untroubled mind and the awareness that man’s deepest and highest self is identical with the spirit of God.“

Just as a physical therapy I’ve found the stretching and practice of certain postures where your spine is held totally erect, very beneficial to my back which is no longer in constant pain. Holding certain postures strengthen core muscles that you wouldn’t usually target on machines at the gym. The concentration on correct breathing brings in a whole other dimension to these exercises. Also, you are taught to hold your focus on particular things such as your breathing, a point on your body etc. This trains your mind to focus. Being able to focus at will is a highly beneficial ability, which can help you in many ways in your day to day life.

Throughout the class you experience increasing levels of relaxation which you could never learn to reach so quickly on your own. At the end of the class, once you are totally relaxed the teacher’s voice guides your mind through some amazing meditation that leaves you totally at peace and connected to your higher self. This is not the kind of exercise you do cos you want to lose weight but i highly recommend it if you are stressed or looking to achieve better health of mind and body. Its the kind of exercise once learned, can be practiced alone, anywhere, at any time. Yoga truly lifts up your spirit and increases your joy, that’s why I like it the most! 🙂

ps: this is a good site to learn more about yoga and its benefits.. http://www.yogawiz.com/

~ by Dilruha on May 12, 2008.