I am here to emphasise the need for the body and mind to be fit and calm every day to carry out day-to-day activities. Yoga ensures this fitness. Yoga also ensures the increase of capabilities of handling every circumstance with ease. Yoga ensures quality living.
The Indian yogic culture has its intrinsic eight-fold activity (Ashta). Yama and Niyama are internal and external basic disciplines of body and mind. Asanas are the physical activities for the body. Asanas keep us physically and mentally prepared.
Asanas can be classified into standing, sitting and sleeping. Asanas can be further classified into bend, stretch and twist. The body comprises three main regions and three supportive systems head, heart and digestive. The health of the body depends upon activating three main systems using three supportive systems. Our body postures are of three types standing, sitting and sleeping.
Whatever we do, we do in these three postures. Any inconvenience to the body is through these three postures. Asanas and surya namaskaras activate all the three main and supportive systems without leaving even one system unattended. Hence, one-hour asanas starting from cleaning, warming up asanas and resting are very much needed for health and rejuvenation of the body every 24 hours..
After asanas, the body is fresh which has removed all the toxin of previous days through bend, stretch and twist, now the spine and backbone is strong and alert capable of sitting straight for more than 30 minutes.
Pranayama (energy management): Now that the body is ready and the lung capacity is increased, refuelling of air which comprises oxygen to the body through the passage of nostrils and the lungs is needed.
Our blood is an oxygen bank and a transporting agent. Our lungs are the processing centre. Our body has trillions of cells. Due to our physical and mental working, the energy in the cells will get drained and exhausted by night.
The whole body gets rest though our sleep. The next day through the practice of asanas the body releases all the stored solid, liquid and gaseous toxins.
Asanas increase the air space and decrease the food space. Now the body needs to be filled with energy or fuel in the form of air which contains oxygen. This oxygen enters the blood through the lungs.
Supply of more oxygen in the form of more organised breathing is Pranayama. This breathing exercise shall have a hundred organised breathings. Minimum of 8 seconds per breathe. Small rest after every 10 breathing completes the energy management and keeps the body and mind fit for the next 24 hours.
This process of breathing will take about 20 to 30 minutes with appropriate rest in between and this breathing has to be done only in a sitting posture with straight back. Normally, the back tends to bend after every two minutes.
Asanas will give strength to the back to stay static and erect for 30 minutes.
Thus, the body is fit and the mind is fit.
(The author is founder of Yogatma. He is an entrepreneur, yoga guru, social activist, motivational speaker, mentor and orator)
