What are the benefits of yoga?

What are the benefits of yoga?

Yoga is an ancient practice with a rich and often controversial history. But its proven physical and mental benefits are undeniable, especially today in our constantly connected, techno-crazed culture.

Yoga benefit

There are loads of reasons to try yoga. It enhances physical health by improving muscle tone and flexibility; it reduces stress by increasing energy levels; it promotes a sense of balance among body, mind, and spirit; it can be done anywhere without any equipment or special clothing other than the traditional loose garments that provide comfort but not constriction - plus there's no risk for injury due to overuse or improper technique if you learn how to do yoga correctly. If you have the time, the money, or any combination of both, to practice yoga regularly for many months or years, you will develop a strong connection with your inner self that you never knew existed.

Yoga is practiced in many different ways. The specific form of yoga that I most enjoy and recommend to others is called Hatha Yoga. Hatha means "forceful". In other words, Yoga teaches how to make the body harmonious and easy to move through space. I base my teaching on an eight-step hierarchy of expertise I received from Swami Chidananda while he was living in San Francisco during the 1950s.

 

The first step is to observe and take note of how your body feels. You can do this by noting the quality of the physical sensations you experience in specific parts of your body during a yoga practice, or while doing any kind of activity that involves movement. You don't have to be a couch potato to do this. A lot of people get into the habit of doing nothing, breathing, and noticing when they get bored - or worse yet, they become depressed because their life isn't really worth living.

Yoga is different. Swami Chidananda taught me that the best way to improve your health is like climbing a mountain; it's slow, slow, and steady. You can't rush into it.

• Also read: What are the physical & mental benefits of Yoga?

If you do slow and steady, you'll get a lot farther than if you try to jump up the mountain as fast as you can. You'll find that even though it takes time to reach the top of Mount Everest, you still have time at the bottom to enjoy how beautiful and magnificent mountaintop scenery is. Great yoga takes time, so I would recommend starting with at least a month's practice for beginners.