Yoga Postures

Yoga occupies a prominent place in coordinating the body movements and making the body flexible, fit and healthy. A child is helped in undertaking different physical movements. According to Mahrishi Patanjali, Yoga suppresses the mind’s willfulness. According to the Bhagwad Gita, proficiency in undertaking work is Yoga. According to Swami Vivekananda, Yoga is the name of that system of Samadhi by which occurs the experience of oneness of being and God and which conjuncts the soul with God.

Characteristics of Yoga Asanas

Following are the important characteristics of Yoga Asanas :

1.         They are a means of unifying the soul and the Divine.

2.         They are a means to acquire energy.

3.         They can help suppress instability of the mind.

4.         They can help man attain infinite energy.

5.         They lead an individual from ignorance to knowledge.

6.         They are helpful in attaining success in life.

7.         They are a means to control the mind and willpower.

8.         They help an individual know his internal faculties, and he masters them all in order to utilise them for his own good.

Importance of Yoga Asanas

Yoga is a traditional art of living. It is not only a method to keep physically fit but also to become mentally and spiritually perfect. It also helps eradicate different types of physical and mental ailments.

Importance and utility of Yoga can be understood under the following points :

1. Physical Health : The greatest wealth of human life is the sound body. Yoga plays a vital role in vitalising and energising the body, and keep it disease-free.

2. Mental Equilibrium : Yoga is not only essential for our bodily health, but also for our mental health.  A sound mind lives in a sound body. Yoga helps to control the mental tendencies and instability. It assists in concentration, assimilation, retention and recall, and thus improves the power of memory of an individual. It is very useful for a student.

3. Internal Hygiene : Yoga helps the body organs develop properly and strengthens muscular movement and blood flow. There are several processes in Yoga which help in internal cleansing and hygiene.

3. Moral Force : A practitioner of Yoga becomes replete with several qualities of good moral conduct. He follows the edicts of good etiquette, quiet nature, doing good to others and so on.

4. Character Building : Yoga helps an individual become morally good.

5. Cure and Prevention of Several Diseases : Yoga cures and prevents several types of ailments.

6. Spiritual and Emotion Progress : Yoga is a medium through which spiritual and emotional progress is ensured.

Benefits of Yoga Asanas

The greatest wealth of human life is a sound, disease-free body; that is, our body should be free from any ailment. It is through Yoga that an individual can have a proper health.

1.         Yoga Asanas assist in attaining proper constitution of the bones and muscles and make them flexible and powerful.

2.         They help to cleanse the internal elements and systems of the body properly.

3.         They regularise blood pressure, heartbeat and body temperature at proper levels.

4.         They help the body become beautiful, energetic, vital and powerful.

5.         They improve the respiration system of the body and help stabilise breathing normal.

6.         They cultivate the immune system significantly to fight with disease, viruses and bacteria.

7.         They are helpful in realizing mental alertness and focus.

8.         They help in regularising the processes of excretion from the body the elements like sweat, faeces, urine etc., which are no more needed in the body.

9.         They are helpful in maintaining a healthy, shiny and sensitive skin.

10.       They help in maintaining proper control over growth and weight of the body.

11.       They help the body to overcome fatigue, make it disease-free and cure any ailment.

12.       They help an individual to become assured of good health, self-confidence and motivation level.