Dec
Yoga Meditation
Posted in Meditation, Yoga | No Comments »Yoga is a set of scientific systems involving physical and mental practices that originated in India more that 6000 years ago. The word ‘Yoga’ is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘yuj’ meaning, to yoke, unite or join. The purpose of Yoga is to unite all aspects of the human being- body, mind and soul, to reach equilibrium in an effort to unite the individual with universal consciousness.
Yoga works on five principles to attain this body-mind-soul equilibrium. These principles include:
- Proper Relaxation
- Proper Exercise (Asanas)
- Proper Breathing (Pranayama)
- Proper Diet
- Positive Thinking & Meditation
As you can see, meditation is one of the five basic principles of Yoga. Yoga meditation is the practice through which there is constant observation of the mind. It requires your mind to focus on any one thing and control its thought process. When the thought process is quiet and all irrelevant thoughts and sensations are gone, you are able to perceive your ‘mind.’ Through this practice, you are able to achieve a number of physical, psychological and spiritual benefits. Meditation involves slowing the brainwave pattern to the alpha level, which is optimum for health and well being.
Let’s look at some of the benefits of yoga meditation:
- It provides deep rest and relaxation to our body. It lowers our heart rate, metabolic rate reduces blood pressure.
- It helps our heart by lowering cholesterol levels.
- The deep breathing involved helps keep our nasal cavities clear.
- It is known to help reduce the damage caused to our body by its use of oxygen, which also helps in slowing the process of ageing
- It provides mental clarity and alertness.
- It reduces anxiety, panic and depression.
- It enhances our creative thinking, helps us be positive and leaves us feeling revitalized.
- It promotes physical, mental and spiritual stability.
- It aids us in the process of self actualization.
Meditation alone can bring us a host of physical, mental, emotional and spiritual benefits. But combining Yoga and Meditation can increase the health benefits exponentially. The other four principles of Yoga and Meditation together add the following health benefits for you:
- Increased physical flexibility and strength.
- Prevention if pain caused by physical activity or inactivity
- Increase in cardiovascular, respiratory and digestive processes
- Improvement of our immune system
- Increase in energy and vitality
- Weight loss
- Increase in attentiveness, memory and concentration
- Efficiency in learning and understanding
- Enhances sense of well being and adjustment
- Improves social adjustment
- Allows acceptance of self
- Allows better understanding of self in relation to society and nature.
People are known to use yoga and meditation separately for a host of individual goals like weight loss, exercise, body detoxification, etc. However, the benefits offered by a combination of yoga and meditation far exceed any individual goal that we set for ourselves. Explore the various possibilities that become available with simultaneous physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well being.
