Are you practising Yoga regularly and mindfully? I've been practising it for the last 32 years sincerely, regularly and consciously. And I can say with all responsibility that I’ve benefited immensely in every respect. Anyway, in this age of modern medical science and technological advancement, a large number of health-conscious people throughout the world practise Yoga. As such, the International Yoga Day symbolises the world-wide acceptability and accessibility of Yoga which is centuries old and has deep roots in ancient Indian culture.
Actually, Yoga is basically a science
- science of integrating body, mind and soul. That’s why many saints,
scientists and great persons did say in different ways as said by
B.K.S.Iyengar, “Yoga, an ancient but perfect science which deals with the
evolution of humanity. This evolution includes all aspects of one's being, from
bodily health to self-realization. Yoga means union - the union of body with
consciousness and consciousness with the soul. Yoga cultivates the ways of
maintaining a balanced attitude in day-to-day life and endows skill in the
performance of one's actions.
The term Yoga has its verbal root as ‘Yuj’ in Sanskrit. ‘Yuj’ means joining. Yoga is that which joins and it’s really so, as people in different countries of the world sit in different places in large numbers to practice Yoga and reap health benefits hugely.
In fact, Yoga is the settling
of the mind into silence and once the mind is settled, we are established in
our essential nature which is unbounded consciousness. So, whenever we confront
with this hard fact that the whole world is passing through difficult times
where besides different age-old known diseases, many life-style and stress
related diseases are taking its toll in growing numbers, it becomes more
appropriate to appreciate and accept this time tested method of being and
keeping well in true sense of the term as extensive research on yoga
therapy has vindicated its effectiveness in dealing with such diseases almost
without any cost.
Paramahansa Yogananda asserts that Yoga is a method for
restraining the natural turbulence of thoughts, which otherwise impartially
prevents all the people of all lands from glimpsing their true nature of
spirit. Yoga can’t know the barrier of East and West any more than it does the
healing and equitable light of the Sun. He further says that the ancient yogic
technique converts the breath into mind stuff. By spiritual advancement, one is
able to cognize the breath as a mental concept, an act of mind: a dream breath.
Many illustrations could be given of the mathematical relationship between
man’s respiratory rate and the variations in his states of consciousness. A
person whose attention is wholly engrossed, as in following some closely knit
intellectual argument, or in attempting some delicate or difficult physical
feat, automatically breathes very slowly. Fixity of attention depends on slow
breathing; quick or uneven breaths are an inevitable accompaniment of harmful
emotional states: fear, lust, anger.
Interestingly, regular practice of Yoga has found to have
very positive impact on our digestive and immune system, muscle strength,
emotional stability as through different Aasans and Pranayam, we inhale more of
oxygen and exhale more of carbon dioxide thereby making our nervous, digestive
and circulatory system greatly activated. To say, after each Yoga session,
one feels better physically, mentally and spiritually. That’s why Iyengar says,
“Yoga is a light, which once lit, will never dim. The better your practice, the
brighter the flame.”
Undeniably, the benefits of Yoga can only be realised if we practice it regularly with complete sincerity and determination, with a relaxed body and open mind. The outcome of such practice would make us feel better, re-energized, calm, cool and composed. As the days, weeks, months and years of regular and disciplined practice of Yoga continue, we can distinctly feel the positive change in our thoughts, behaviour, actions and attitude towards everything in life.
Precisely speaking, Yoga is basically a way of life and should be practised as such. It’s not a short-term pursuit or only a set of exercises. Yoga is an important daily activity of being and remaining conscious of all our activities, be it thinking, reading, eating, playing, working, sleeping and what not till the last day in our life.
# Published in my Sunday Column of "Morning India" daily. 
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