Importance of yoga

P Jadumani Singh *

International Yoga Day at Khuman Lampak Indoor stadium on 21st June 2017 :: Pix - DIPR

To maintain a healthy body and sound mind, we require one exercise daily which may be walking or cycling or swimming or Yoga. We may select any one of them and do it daily by reserving one hour in a day. We are living in the world of chemical foods and preservatives. Prevention of stress related health problems is possible through Yoga practices. Crime rates will be reduced if all of us practise Yoga.

What we require in our body is flexibility of the muscles and mental stability without stress. Not doing any sort of mental and physical exercises is an invitation to the diseases and health problems and also is a cause to life shortening.

Yoga is a process by which we animal like people ascends through the stages like Man-Man, Super-Man and Divine-Man. The founders of Yoga were saints/rishis of ancient India, who attained salvation through their consistent practice of meditation.

Yoga is becoming popular in all parts of the world nowadays, because it gives solace to the restless mind, it is a boon for the sicks. For the common man, it is a fashion to keep h himself fit and beautiful. Some use it for development of memory, intelligence and creativity. Yoga practice involves body and mind, so it gives peaceful mind and healthy body.

People have different needs and problems of health. So Yoga may be classified into four streams which Swami Vivekananda had put as philosophy, work, worship and psychic control:-

1. Jnana Yoga- it is a practice of acquiring proper knowledge. It covers Yama( control and discipline) and Niyama( rules, methods and principle).

2. Karma Yoga-It is the practice of action, activity and enterprises. It covers Pratyahara( avoidance of undesirables in taking action i.e. knowing the proper action to be taken so that our mind is kept undisturbed by outside object/thoughts).

3. Bhakti Yoga- It is the practice of worship to control the mind.

4. Raja Yoga- it is the practice of concentration and meditation. It covers Dharna (concentration), Dhyana( meditation) and Samadhi (contemplation or separating the soul from the body to merge into the godly world i.e. Jibatma uniting/ merging into Paramatma).

Yoga treatment of some ailments:

1. Diabetes:- This illness, caused by the excess accumulation of sugar in the blood when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin for utilization of the sweet substances in the body chemistry, can be cured through the corrective and regular practice of Yoga asanas. Yoga session consisting of loosening exercises (jogging, forward and backward bending, side bending, side twisting, sit and up, alternate leg raising and rocking), Surja namaskar asanas, Uttanpada asana, Bhujanga asana, Pachimottan asana, Ardha Masyendra asana, Suptavajra asana, Danur asana and Shava asana, will help to maintain the normal level of sugar in the blood.

2. Heart ailments and High Blood Pressure:- The diseases such as atherosclerosis (deposits of carbohydrates, fats etc along the inner wall of the arteries), coronary thrombosis (formation of blood clots in the heart or blood vessel) and hypertension can be treated through Yoga asanas, pranayama and proper diet. The narrowness in the arteries due to deposit of fatty materials on the arterial walls is a cause for hypertension.

No tobacco products, not tea/coffee, no fat containing food, no excessive salt, no late hour working, no overeating and free from anxiety, tension etc are important advice for control/prevention of hypertension. Yoga asanas recommended for treatment of high blood pressure are loosening exercises, surja namaskar asanas, santalun asana, pawanmukta asana, uttanpada asana, rechaka puraka pranayama and shava asana (in this asana we should keep our mind free from tension, anxiety, restlessness etc by concentrating our mind for doing meditation).

3. Asthma:- It is a disorder of the bronchioles and disturbs the normal inspiration and expiration. It does not get completely cured through medicines. Asthma can be cured within a few months of regular practice of pranayama, select asanas with proper diet and no recurrence of it in the future. Pranayama- Ujjayee pranayama( lying and standing position) in the morning and evening on the empty stomach. Asanas – EkpadaUttan asana, Tara asana, Ushtra asana, Simha asana, Sarvang asana, Matsya asana, Padma asana and shava asana.

4. Arthritis :- This, a disease of joints, does not get cured through medicines when it is in chronic stage. Regular practice of some selected asanas cures this disease within two months in the case of moderate type. In chronic cases it takes four/five months or more to cure and restore normal health. Arthritics are advised to practise santulan asana, trikona asana, veera asana, gomukha asana, briksha asana, siddha asana, natraj asana and shava asana.

5. Sinus:- Blockage of one or both nostrils, heaviness of head or headache, excessive sneezing etc are symptoms of sinus. Complete congestion in the nostrils, difficulty in breathing etc make life miserable. The prolonged use of faulty diet is the primary cause of sinus.

The persons suffering from sinus should avoid (i) taking bed tea or drinking water in the morning, ii) drinking milk, (iii) using perfumes and hair oils with strong smell, iv) eating fried and roasted things, v) eating butter or ghee, vi) smoking or taking tobacco products and vii) using spices of sharp flavour or hot spices.

Yoga treatment for curing sinus disorder are i) Pranayama- rechaka and puraka pranayama, bhastrika pranayama and shitali pranayama, ii) Asanas- surjanamaskar asanas, bhujanga asana and shava asana and iii) Bandha- jalandhar bandha.

6. Abdominal problems:- These problems like constipation, wind formation, indigestion, diarrhoea, acidity, gastro-intestinal disorders etc are due to stress and strain, ii) improper eating habits like overeating, eating at irregular times, going to bed immediately after ravening food, use of hot spices and fried things, adulterated and stale food stuffs.

These problems can be cured through daily practice of a few asanas and proper diet. The selected pranayama and asanas for such disorders are rechaka and puraka pranayama, uttanpada asana, pawanmukta asana, bhujanga asana, shalabha asana, paschimottan asana, mayor asana and shava asana.