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Yoga, a complete therapy for body and mind

Ever since its inception, international yoga day has been celebrated on June 21st throughout the world, and yoga has been recognised as an ancient practice that helps to improve the state of relaxation, improves the blood flow, enhances immunity and aids with mindfulness.

According to the Doctors at CGH Wellness Experiences

Yoga’s regulated rhythmic breathing strengthens the core diaphragmatic muscles, improves the cognitive functions, increasing the pain threshold, improves mood related problems am overall well proven that yoga can provide a healthy and fruitful life in all aspects.

Physical and mental therapy are one of yoga’s most important achievements. What makes it so powerful and effective is the fact that it works on the holistic principles of harmony and unification. Yoga has succeeded as an alternative form of therapy in conditions like obesity, asthma, diabetes, blood pressure, arthritis, digestive disorders, and other ailments of a chronic and constitutional nature, where modern science has not. Yoga therapy has been successful because of the balance created in the nervous and endocrine system which directly influences all the other systems and organs of the body.

How To Heal The Body Mind And Soul Through Yoga

According to Yoga literature, which has been well validated by science too, all lifestyle diseases are primarily rooted in the mind which in turn affects one’s energy and manifests in the body as symptoms of illness. Therefore, the healing process also needs to start from the mind itself and here yoga comes with a perfect solution for your Heath issues as it works not only on your mind but also on your energy and physical planes.

Yogic breathing:

Yogic breathing is a technique where inweuseourabdomen,chestandshoulders systematically. Expand your abdomen, chest and shoulder systematically while you inhale and relax your shoulders, chest and the abdomen while you exhale. This helps to make your breath slow, deep, calm and controlled while rhythmic.

Surya namaskar:

This is a combination of 12 steps with alternative forward and backward stretching. When practiced slowly with awareness, it helps to maintain balance in the hormonal and nervous system and brings harmony in the body.

Yogic Asanas:

Yoga ‘Asanas‘ are postures which involve stretching and maintaining it for a while. It helps to give movement to the muscles in our body; thereby aiding in providing nutrition even to the minor set of muscles in the body. It is always better including a variety of asanas, rather than practicing the same set of asanas daily. Asanas were never intended to be practiced rapidly or to be in conflict with the body. As traditional texts explain Yoga Asanas are about being in a state of stability and comfort.

Pranayama:

‘ Pranayama’is the systemic breathing methodology in Yoga to change the arrhythmic inhalations and exhalations into rhythmic , slow and steady. It helps to purify energy channels and to bring harmony to the physiological functions in the body. ‘Pranas’ are the Yogic concepts for the vital energy in the body and its rhythmic and harmonious flow is very crucial in keeping our body healthy and disease free.

Yoga Nidra:

There are scientific evidence shows that Yoga nidras and other meditation techniques have an impact in your health by neutralizing our emotional behaviors and stress. Regular practice of Yogic meditative techniques helps to calm down your mind and helps to make intellectual choices in deciding your lifestyle.

Understanding illness in a Yogic Way

Diseases of mankind originate from within the layers of the Mind and affects / disturbs the Energy Layer to manifest in the Physical layer as a disease or symptoms of one. In the Mind the imbalance starts as Likes &Dislikes which leads to emotional reactions. Emotions in turn lead to wrong actions which end up as wrong outcomes, that create Mental stress. This Mental stress is named as “Adhis’ (the primary disease but no symptom seen at the physical level). This causes an agitated body and mind. When the body and mind is agitated, it affects all the normal physiological functions of the body, especially the digestive system which leads to faulty digestion, non-digestion & over digestion of food eaten. This impairment in the digestive system causes the settling of improperly digested food(toxins)in the body which finally manifest as Vyadhi –Psychosomatic ailments.

Integrated Yoga Therapy

In the treatment of psychosomatic ailments, it is mandatory to work on the body and mind to bring about a complete cure. In integrated Yoga therapy, various Yoga modalities are used to treat the psychosomatic diseases.

For the Physical body:

Kriyas (Neti, Dhouthi, Nouli) ,sithilikarana vyayama, cultural and relaxative asanas.

For the mind:

Breathing exercises, pranayama, kriyas, Bendhas and Mudras, Dharana, Dhanya, Yoganidra.

General Instructions & point store member while Practicing Therapeutic Yoga

Always practice under the guidance of a qualified trainer.

Don’tcopypracticesprescribedforothers.Eventhoughthediseaseconditionmightbesame, therpeautic Yoga prescriptions are prescribed taking into account various factors like age, gender, general health, and co-morbidities.

Ifyoufeelanykindofunusualpainordiscomfortduringpractice,stopthepracticeimmediately and bring it to the notice of the doctor.

Don’t fight with your body–always know your limits.

Keep your awareness in the body and breath during the practice.

Loosening practices can be done dynamically but ensure to relax completely before the next practice.

Avoid yoga if you are suffering from a fever, after surgeries, in case spinal cord issues and hernia – seek expert guidance.

Practice on an empty stomach or alternately 3 hours after your last meal

Wear loose and comfortable attire

Use a comfortable yoga mat, which has a good grip

Do your practice in a place which has good air circulation

Don’t take bath immediately after your Yoga practice. Keep a minimum gap of 30 mints

If you feel any kind of unusual pain or discomfort during practice, stop the practice immediately and contact your trainer.

Always take adequate relaxation between each practice.

By default always breathe through your nose, unless instructed otherwise

Don’t practice general yoga during your menstrual cycle and pregnancy.

End the practice by relaxing in the Shavasana pose for 5 to 10 mins and let your breath , body temperature, muscles and heart beat return to normal.

ALSO READ-Let’s have a healthy digestive system

Try out some alternative therapies for healthy lifestyle

Yoga is about developing inner awareness and focusing on the present moment, not just physical poses to increase strength and flexibility…writes Dr. G Prakash

To protect themselves from serious health issues, people are forming new habits or adopting healthier lifestyle choices such as going vegan, cutting sugar, or eating organic. This has received a lot more attention since the COVID-19 pandemic, which made people realise how important it is to live a healthy lifestyle and eat well.

Obsession with good lifestyle choices or healthy eating, on the other hand, can have serious physical and emotional consequences. Eating healthy, nutritious food is beneficial to the body, but for those suffering from orthorexia, the harm outweighs the benefit (a term used to define an unhealthy obsession with healthy eating).

It’s like pushing healthy eating to the point where it causes problems in everyday life, and the situation spirals out of control. One of the most important aspects of recovering from an eating disorder is learning to better manage one’s overall health, which is where alternative therapies can help.

Obsession with Healthy Eating

Smart food choices can obviously benefit the body in a variety of ways, but problems arise when someone becomes overly obsessed with restrictions. When a person’s behaviour becomes too disruptive as a result of such constraints, it can interfere with personal and professional relationships, eventually leading to psychological disorders.

Furthermore, people with orthorexia frequently avoid social invitations and interactions, fearing that they will have to compromise their healthy eating habits. Even if they engage in social interactions, they will refuse to eat, even if they are hungry. Some people may also spend hours shopping for specific groceries or conceal their habits from friends and family.

How Alternative or Complementary Therapies Help with Obsessive Health Consciousness

Alternative and complementary medicine’s basic philosophy includes a holistic approach to care that focuses on a person’s health as a whole rather than focusing on one organ or bodily system. These systems are based on the belief that the human body is capable of self-healing. Healing frequently entails a combination of techniques involving the mind, body, and spirit. The goal is to achieve balance, as imbalance frequently leads to disease. Here are some complementary therapies to help you cope with a healthy or good eating obsession.

Yoga

Yoga is about developing inner awareness and focusing on the present moment, not just physical poses to increase strength and flexibility. According to surveys and studies, regular yoga practitioners are less critical of their bodies and more satisfied with them. That is also why yoga is an essential component of eating disorder treatment and programmes that promote body positivity and self-esteem.

Additionally, because yoga cultivates mindfulness in a person, yoga practitioners are more mindful eaters. Yoga practise makes one more aware of how their body feels. This increased awareness can be carried over to mealtime by savouring each bite and paying attention to how food tastes, smells, and feels in the mouth.

Meditation

The perception of one’s own body can elicit a variety of feelings and thoughts that can occupy one’s mind. However, for the majority of people, the critical lens through which they view themselves is not an exact reflection of how everyone else sees them. Meditation is the way to open the mind and navigate negative, judgmental thoughts about body image while remaining comfortable.

Feelings and thoughts, especially negative ones, are the most difficult obstacles to overcome in life. Meditation practitioners are able to see beyond the nature of thought entirely. It is a natural human tendency to become engrossed in negative conversation. People give weight and meaning to their thoughts, and meditation teaches how to let thoughts come and go without becoming entangled in self-created storylines. Meditation teaches people to be kind to themselves rather than judge them.

Acupuncture

When their eating habits are disrupted, people with orthorexia may experience intense anxiety or frustration. Furthermore, any disruption in their self-imposed dietary habits is likely to result in self-loathing or guilt. Such issues, if left untreated, can cause irreversible damage to a person’s health.

Acupuncture, depending on the placement of the needles, can produce painkilling chemicals and jump-start the body’s natural ability to heal itself, or it can stimulate the part of the brain that controls emotions, including anxiety. All of these can help people maintain a healthy balance and treat various illnesses. The therapy can significantly reduce worries about things over which a person has no control.

A health-conscious person is concerned about his or her body, whereas a health-obsessed person is obsessed with it. It is critical to ensure that the diet does not cause anxiety. While some foods are healthier than others, no food can kill you if you eat it once or twice.

Living a healthy life does not mean rejecting people and experiences, but rather embracing life as a whole while constantly working to maintain physical and mental health.

(Dr. G Prakash, Deputy- Chief Medical Officer, Jindal Naturecure Institute)

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