1. Proper exercise (Asanas)
Integral benefits
Proper physical exercises, known as asanas in Sanskrit, have a positive effect on all parts of the body: Similar to the function of oil in an engine, the asanas enhance the flexibility of the joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments, and stimulate circulation. Yoga exercises have a rejuvenating effect on the whole organism and are thus incomparable to any other system. When performed slowly and with awareness, the asanas give a sense of physical well-being. At the same time, they are a mental exercise in concentration and meditation.
Often underrated – the spine
Yoga exercises are primarily focused on the health of the spine. The spine is the base of the central nervous system, the body’s communication system. The spine is a direct extension of the brain, so a healthy, straight spine promotes the health of the entire body. Keeping the spine strong and flexible through proper exercise stimulates blood circulation, ensures an adequate supply of nutrients and oxygen to the nerves, and maintains the ideal weight of the body.
Goal: Control over the mind
Asanas stimulate the acupuncture zones of the body. When these points are activated, the flow of prana (life energy) increases. Performing the asanas massages the internal organs and boosts organ function. Together with the yoga exercises of deep breathing, relaxation and concentration, asanas can help us develop control over the mind. The mind – by nature restless and always following sense impressions – is directed inwards, withdrawn from the objects of the senses and gradually brought under control.
2. Proper breathing (Pranayama)
Breathing circulates energy
Proper breathing connects the body to its battery, the solar plexus, which is an enormous reservoir of energy. The breathing techniques of pranayama set this energy in motion and revitalise both body and mind. By consciously regulating our breath, we’re able to store more prana (life energy) and draw on these energy reserves in our daily life.
Learning to breathe…
Most people use only a small portion of their lung capacity when breathing. They breathe into the upper chest with hunched shoulders, leading to a lack of oxygen and tension in the upper back and the neck. Deep and conscious abdominal breathing is an effective way to conquer stress and depression. A person with lots of prana radiates strength and vitality.
The secret of healing
By controlling prana we gain control over the mind. Many diseases can be nipped in the bud simply by regulating prana: that’s the secret of healing. Acupuncture, Shiatsu, mental healing, the laying on of hands etc. are all examples of conscious or unconscious control of prana developed to a high degree.
3. Proper relaxation (Savasana)
Recharge your batteries through proper relaxation
Proper relaxation is an excellent cooling system, comparable to that of an automobile. It’s the most natural way of re-energising the body. Relaxation is so important because the body and mind cannot perform well under constant stress.
To control and balance body and mind, one has to use the body’s energy efficiently. This is the main motivation for learning how to relax.
To control and balance body and mind, one has to use the body’s energy efficiently. This is the main motivation for learning how to relax.
Relaxation doesn’t come easy…
In our modern world, many people find it difficult to relax or to conserve their energy while working. By keeping our muscles in a constant state of readiness, we expend a lot more energy than we would if we used only those muscles needed for the job at hand. Unnecessary physical and mental tension uses up great amounts of energy, even in periods of rest, and wastes a huge amount of our vital energy. Have you ever returned from your holiday feeling exhausted? It can happen, despite the fact that our body produces a surplus of energy each day, enough to last us for the next day. The problem is that negative emotions like anger or irritability can deplete these energy stores in just a few minutes.
Perfect relaxation with yoga
The yoga practice replenishes the energy stores of the body. That’s why you never feel drained after a yoga class. Instead, you feel charged up with positive energy. At the end of the yoga class is ‘deep relaxation’. In this state, only a very small amount of life energy (prana) is used, just enough to maintain vital metabolic activities. The rest of the energy is stored. This deep relaxation includes three levels: physical, mental and spiritual relaxation. Complete or perfect relaxation is possible only when all three levels are involved. So a few minutes of yoga relaxation can recharge us more effectively – and give us much more inner peace – than several hours of restless sleep.
4. Proper diet (vegetarian)
Eat to live…
“Eat to live, don’t live to eat” – that’s the yogic attitude towards nutrition. The yoga practitioner chooses food products that have the most positive effects on the body and mind, and the fewest negative effects on the environment and on other creatures. As a vegetarian, the yoga practitioner eats the primary producers of the food chain: Plants get their nutrients directly from the sun, the energy source for all life on our planet.
Wholesome and well balanced
The yogic diet is lacto-vegetarianand consists mainly of grains, pulses, fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds and dairy products. A vegetarian diet is wholesome, easy to digestand supplies the body with a maximum amount of nutrients and energy. In general, we should select food items that are as fresh and natural as possible (no preservatives or artificial flavours), ideally organic and non-GM foods. Careful preparation of the food is essential to retain a maximum amount of nutrients. Long storage, refinement or overcooking destroys many vital components of our food.
The mind eats too!
We literally are what we eat. Most people are unaware that foodstuffs form the substance of the mind as well, thus influencing it in a very subtle way. So impure foods like meat not only stiffen the joints, but also leave behind a sense of heaviness and lethargy. They create fertile ground for the emergence of chronic diseases or depression.The yogic diet consists of pure food products and helps us keep both body and mind healthy and fit.
5. Positive thinking and meditation (Vedanta and Dhyana)
The keys to peace of mind
Positive thinking and meditation are the keys to peace of mind. Meditation is the method used to calm and focus the mind. Regular practice promotes not only mental equanimity, but physical and spiritual well-being as well. Before we can meditate, though, we need to centre the mind through concentration techniques and positive thinking. A mind full of negative thoughts and feelings is hard to calm down.
Union with the Supreme Self
By controlling the movements of the mind, we can eliminate negative thought patterns and reach the meditative super-conscious state (Samadhi). Samadhi is the blissful union with the Supreme Self and leads to direct, intuitive experience of the Infinite. It is a deep spiritual experience that cannot be put into words or even grasped by the mind. In Samadhi, the senses, the mind and the intellect cease to function. The consciousness expands, going beyond time, space and causality. One realises the divine presence pervading all life forms and experiences profound peace and joy and a feeling of oneness with the universe.
