Pause for a moment and "feel" healthy: Yogic techniques for overall well being

On this international day of yoga, we are upholding the theme -Yoga for well-being. The theme is apt as the world is trying to recover from a pandemic that has pushed our lives in unexpected directions. Amongst many things we learned and discovered during these tough times, the value of ‘health’ stands first.

The word yoga is world-famous, but how familiar are we with the concept of yoga?

Yoga deserves to be adapted in all walks of life not because it makes you fit and fine physically and mentally but also opens up higher folds of life. For some yoga is physical postures, for others, it’s breathing, yet others look at it from philosophical and spiritual perspectives. Yoga is all of this and beyond. True to its meaning, yoga is integration in itself. Every individual can use the bits and pieces of yoga and create a complete picture for himself. Yoga, as general as it sounds is secretly tailored for each individual being.

Until recently the state of health was a mere absence of disease. Even today, knowingly or unknowingly we let the “normal values” on our reports define our health. We need well-qualified doctors and complex health infrastructure to certify we are healthy. Can we pause for a moment and “feel” healthy? Our wellbeing depends not just on our physical, mental, and emotional health but also on the environment we live and grow in. This environment is a collective creation by each one of us. It is made up of kindness, compassion, love, purity of thought, sense of responsibility, humility – each of which is repeatedly emphasized in yogic texts.

In this competitive era where we have no time to stop until we reach our goal, achieve our name and fame, we are forgetting the concept of wellbeing. At some point in life, we all have experienced a day where we have no noticeable physical or mental symptoms and yet don’t want to do anything. We have told, “I’m fine, but I feel like doing nothing”. Here, we have no disease but also we are not being well!

To be well is to take responsibility for your body, mind, and emotions. To be well is to have a lifestyle suitable to your internal and external
environment. To be well is to be in balance! And, this cannot be achieved by mere upgrading of the Healthcare system but by upgrading ourselves as individuals. A doctor can help you recover from a disease but you must help yourself for the betterment of health.

Prevention of disease is better than cure, but the promotion of positive health is far better than prevention! What better way than yoga to cure, prevent and promote?  Yoga is a tool that is openly available to everyone provided you learn to make the right use of it. Learning and practicing yoga under proper guidance is essential. Practicing kriyas (cleansing techniques), Asanas (postures), pranayamas (breathing techniques) and dhyana (Meditation) which are a part of yogic techniques is a total package of wellbeing. They act at the physical, physiological, mental, emotional, and spiritual levels making us strong and stable.

Spending 20 to 30 minutes on your yoga mat every day will allow you to understand your body better. Body, being a basic instrument for our existence (shareeram Adhyam khalu dharmasAdhanam) when taken good care of, takes care of everything. A simple shavasana, when practiced in its true sense will give you the best benefits.

The practice of pranayama helps in the better connection between your mind and body which is a basic requirement for wellbeing. Any meditation technique of your choice or just sitting in silence for a while on a regular basis unfolds various dimensions of yourself and your surroundings helping you build a positive relationship with both. You are free to pick the techniques you like and make the best use of them in the comfort of your home! Be with yoga, be at home.

 

Authored by Dr. Rakshitha S Nayak, BNYS (MD YOGA), S-VYASA university