Why yoga is good for mind, body and soul
How this ancient practice can lead to a clearer mind, stronger body and better relationship with modern life and the pursuit of happiness.
by Katie Rixon, Blyth Rise Stays resident yoga teacher
Yoga is good for you! This is not a revelation. You can do it with little or no equipment, and these days it is just as easy to practice from the comfort of your own home as it is in your local studio. Yoga also really is for everyone and can positively impact you both physically and mentally. But what is it exactly that makes yoga so good for us?
First, it is important to understand what yoga actually is. Don’t see yoga as a ‘thing’- see it as an idea. Yoga is the union of body and mind, connected by the breath. Yoga encourages you to move with intention. To be kind, compassionate and connected, to both yourself and others. To garner a deeper appreciation for the simpler things in life and to build more awareness in the actions of your day to day life.
Simply put, “if you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change”. Life these days is already hard and fast enough so the encouragement to take some time out for yourself; to slow down, to breathe, and if you want to, to move, is more appealing to most than ever before.
MIND
How often have you taken the time to focus on your breathing? The lungs are the biggest organ in the body and often taken for granted. Slowing down your breath with “pranayama” or “breathe-work” can be instantly calming and grounding, while other guided breathing techniques can help to stimulate and energise the body. It is amazing the physical changes that you can make simply using these incredible tools.
Scientifically speaking, yoga can help activate your parasympathetic nervous system, moving the body out of a stress-state and the typical hormone imbalancing “fight or flight” mode, into a more calming “rest and digest” setting. The benefits of which can help with a range of things including calming an overactive mind and helping to alleviate sleeping problems. It will not be surprising to hear that the two are often linked.
It can also help to boost some of the so-called “happiness chemicals” which our bodies naturally produce. These include mood-boosting serotonin plus pain-killing and natural-high endorphins and dopamine.
The benefits of Meditation and Mindfulness have been written about a lot in recent years, because they are an excellent antidote to the fast pace of modern life. They include better focus for work, decreased anxiety and stress, and done correctly, it can also be incredibly revilatising. It’s a great way to stay grounded and be more “present”. Plus living in the moment undoubtedly helps you to feel more appreciation for the simple things in life.
Using your mind to bring a deeper connection and awareness to yourself, you can build an appreciation for the things that you can do, rather than focussing on the things that you can’t. In the modern world with so much comparison culture thanks to the omnipresence of social media and advertising, it is important to take time to feel grateful for our bodies. Kurt Vonnegut’s words may not be new but they resonate just as strongly today. “Enjoy your body, use it every way you can. Don’t be afraid of it, or what other people think of it. It’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own”.
BODY
While it is by no means the entirety of what yoga is, and actually only makes up a small part of the whole practice, most people will already be familiar on some level of the more physical side of yoga.
The “asanas” or “poses” as they are better-known, were traditionally created to prepare the body for meditation and have now become a lot more of what yoga has been packaged up as for the western world. This does not mean that they should be overlooked at all and it would be remiss of me not to mention some of the amazing benefits.
We all know that stretching feels good. A lot of people initially come to yoga for a “fix”, usually a physical one, be it back pain, headaches or general “stiffness”. Of course it can help with these things if done correctly and regularly, however, there are so many more physical benefits to the poses. These include:
Building muscle and strengthening the body
Creating a better posture
Encouraging circulation
Restoring energy and rejuvenating
Increasing mobility and flexibility
Boosting your circulation and digestion, while encouraging your internal organs to elimate waste. Basically, detoxing.
This is coupled with an increased awareness of your own body beyond the aesthetics of what it looks like. Unlike most exercises it focuses on the joints as well as the muscles; the tendons and ligaments which connect them, and the fascia that surround them. A truly full-body experience.
SOUL
There is a reason you come out of class feeling more grounded with a clearer mind. Guided by a series of ancient principles, or modern-day “rules for life” you will be encouraged to leave your ego at the door and to bring connection and awareness to your body and your actions.
What is unique about yoga is the encouragement to ‘take your practice off the mat’ and into your day-to-day. In the most basic of forms, this can mean using simple guides such as “non-harming” and “truthfulness”, and in a world of constant marketing and pressure to achieve, the “non-attachment” of our own happiness to a possession or outcome can help make a huge shift in mindset. Understanding, quite simply, to take the rough with the smooth and to strive for contentment rather than looking for happiness in something or someone else.
The path to happiness is a long one with many obstacles along the way. If we can understand the difference between contentment and happiness, knowing that one can lead to the other but to strive for a more balanced, contentedness or even-mindedness, it can help to manage the highs and lows of modern life.
This is something that takes work and doesn’t all happen overnight after one class, but the principles and philosophical aspects encourage you to make more considered choices and have an awareness of your actions. It is important to be aware that it is a long-term practice; a lifestyle, holistic and ever-evolving. It needs commitment and consistency.
MIND, BODY AND SOUL
The reason it is so good for mind, body and soul is its ability to connect all three. Think of yoga as a guidebook for everyday life, which you can delve into as deep as you like, knowing that the more you put in, the more you get out.
Slowing down, breathing, taking time for yourself in a world that moves so fast can only be a good thing. When the evidence stacks up like this, perhaps rather than asking “why yoga”, the harder question is to ask “why not?”. To finish as I started, with the words of B.K.S. Iyengar “Yoga is a light which once lit, will never dim. The greater your practice, the brighter the flame”.
To book your yoga classes or enquire about retreats, email yoga@blythrisestays.co.uk