LL By Laughing Lotus

We all know the benefits of doing yoga. But what if we say there are yoga poses you can do from your office chair? You don’t have to sign up anywhere or spend money. Here we give some yoga poses to help ease stress in your body and mind. Additionally, they will improve your work efficiency too. Here they are:

Pranayama

All yoga poses indeed involve conscious breathing. But Pranayama works wonders for repairing a tired brain. Moreover, it brings extra benefits paired with specific mudras such as Sin mudra.

Steps to do:

Just sit and relax. Straighten your shoulders and notice the air as you breathe in and out. Place your hands in any comfortable position. Do Sin mudra by touching the tip of the thumb with the tip of the index finger. This pose increases concentration.

Seated cat-cow pose

We all place stress on our shoulders, both metaphorically and physically. But unfortunately, we store the stress of our responsibility to work on our shoulders only, which adds more pain at the end of the day. The cat and cow pose will help relieve this pain.

Steps to do:

Sit with your legs hip-width apart. Place your hands on your knees, palm facing down. Now inhale as you arch your lower back facing the ceiling. Relax for 10 seconds and then exhale as you bend inwards, tilting your head down.

Seated crescent moon pose

We store that extra plumpness in our waist as we keep sitting down. The crescent moon pose helps relieve tension in the lateral muscles and keep our waist crescent-like.

Steps to do:

Sit up straight and join your palms, extending your hands overhead. Bend towards the right and left as much as you can flex. Hold the pose every time for 10 seconds.

Chair pigeon pose

It is vital to open our hips as we open our shoulders. This pose increases blood flow to our lower body, helping healthy flow in the lower three chakras. They help in life energy flow, creativity, and increased intellect, respectively.

Steps to do:

Relax your legs and place your right foot on your left knee. Hold your leg for good support. Now bend as you exhale and return as you inhale. Repeat the process with the other leg alternatively.

Seated forward bend

What do you fret the most as you age? Tummy. This forward bend pose helps you lose your tummy. Although it is best to stand up, sitting down also works.

Steps to do:

Sit relaxed and bend down to touch the ground with your palms. It is important not to bend your knee. Inhale as you return and exhale as you bend.

Seated eagle pose

Do the eagle pose or garudasana to balance your upper body. This pose opens up the torso and relaxes muscles. Also, it is fun to do.

Steps to do:

Sit comfortably and bring your hands together. Twist your arms to meet the palms together. Hold the pose and breathe for 10 seconds.

Wrist and finger stretch

The final yoga pose is easy-peasy. This wrist stretch releases tension in your fingers.

Steps to do:

Stretch your hands in front and circulate your wrists inward and outward.

Introduction

Generally, yoga is the journey to the self with the help of different techniques. It connects the soul and mind to the universe with complete gratitude. It ensures both physical and mental health. In this modern era, the one thing we cannot eliminate is “stress.” Irrespective of people’s age, everyone faces stressful situations of their kind. Various research has revealed that yoga empowers oneself with managing stress, increased concentration, calm, peace, and contentment at a mental level leading to inner and outer harmony. See below how yoga can be the best solution for stress management.

Research on stress

Undoubtedly, stress has become a part of everyone’s life. When stress persists for a short time, then it is normal. But imagine what happens if it persists for a long time. In such cases, we should remember that stress ruins not only our day but also our health. Multiple research projects on stress demonstration have quoted that when a person faces too much stress in their life, it acts as a toxin by affecting their body cells, organs, hormones, muscles, metabolism, and immune system. Most importantly, chronic stress is a critical factor in causing heart disease, cancer, and diabetes resulting in death. Though dealing with stress is no easy feat, it is possible to eliminate stress from our bodies with the help of yoga.

Importance of yoga in stress management

As yoga is the perfect way to ensure mental health, practice it consistently. You can banish all your anger, stress, and anxiety through meditation and breathing exercises. This ancient art teaches how to inhale all the positive vibes and exhale all negative vibes in us. Practicing yoga daily makes you feel relaxed, at ease, and relieved from all the stress running through your mind. The one fantastic thing about yoga is positive effects on the mind and body are visible over time. Hence, practice it to choose kindness over hardness, purity over impurity, love over ego, and truth over untruth.

Conclusion

“The journey inwards is the journey of any person inwards.”  From ancient days to date, yoga insists people focus on mind, body, and breathing. Once you master the skill, you can achieve all your endeavors by quickly crossing all obstacles. Being a master of your soul and body, without any delay, defeat all your anxiety and stress with the help of yoga. Practicing yoga constantly allows you to experience deep relaxation and manage stress effectively. Change your habits, change your life.

The objective of yoga is to achieve mindfulness. But the word itself is scary, particularly if you suffer from anxiety or stress that limits mindfulness.

Here we give some fool-proof ways to achieve mindfulness at ease. Let’s first understand how yoga gives mindfulness.

Relationship between mindfulness and yoga

Contrary to popular opinion, we don’t consciously achieve mindfulness through yoga. Instead, yoga itself gives mindfulness as a result.

All you have to do is do your favorite yoga pose religiously. That itself will take you to the path of a calm and serene mind.

Don’t believe me? Here’s how.

Clean breath

Pranayama, or the regulation of breath, cleanses our bodies. Any meditative technique using the five elements of nature gives an immense amount of clean energy. You can meditate on the ground, near a lit candle, use singing bowls or do any meditation you like.

All these are forms of pranayama, letting you notice your breath. During meditation, you don’t always have to notice your breath actively. Eventually, you calm down during the process, and that itself gives results.

Yoga poses

You can choose to be static doing Savasana or strain with Vrikshasana. The result is achieving mindfulness along with the individual benefits of each pose.

But to achieve mindfulness through these poses, you must do them. As you start doing them, you will notice your body touching the surface under first. Then you will notice the touch of your body parts depending on the pose. This touch will bring your focus to the moving body part. For example, if the surface you are doing yoga on is cold or hot, you will first notice the temperature difference.

These focal points will gradually move to the adjacent body parts. Through these steps, you will gain mindfulness through physical yoga poses.

Calming the erratic mind

As you gain control over your body parts, you will start focusing on your mind. If it is too loud, it might alarm you. First, know that it is normal. Tell yourself that it is okay to have confusing thoughts.

Here, people suffering from extreme stress or mental disorders might fret more. Let your thoughts run through you. Tell yourself you are here whenever a thought shocks you or cause fear, and yoga will help you. You cannot be successful on the first attempt, but you will be eventually.

Final step

As you keep practicing, you will notice a drop in intrusive thoughts. This change might take days or even weeks. Consistency is the key here. Once you notice the difference, you won’t give up.

Mindfulness achieved through yoga will feel like peace. You will feel calm inside, and everything around you will be calmer. Even a strenuous physical activity will give joy.

While mindfulness is the sense of being aware of oneself and others, there are other benefits to achieve alongside being in the present. After mindfulness comes bliss.

Meditation done as a part of yoga can give benefits more enjoyable, such as levitation. Experience that, too, and you will keep coming back for more.

Introduction

Your body and mind come together while performing yoga. As humans, we cannot deny that yoga is the art and science of healthy living. It brings mental and physical disciplines together to attain peace and harmony in all walks of life. Moreover, we can find a trace of yoga from the Indus valley civilization. However, since then, it has undergone various changes, and now what we do as a contemporary practice is different as part of globalization. Hence, have a look on here to know the disconnect between traditional and contemporary practice in yoga.

Traditional practice

It is the pride of every Indian that yoga originated in the subcontinent of India. As yoga is the mirror to look at ourselves from within, it is evident that yoga was practiced during the Pre-Vedic period, the Vedic period, the pre-classical period, the Classical period, the Post-classical period, and even the Modern period. Here comes the question of whether the modern yoga practice connects with the ancient purpose. If it is not, then what is the purpose of traditional practice? The ancient practice of yoga was more about the mind than the body. It helped people attain steadiness and stillness, and it has also insisted that yoga does not ask us to be more than who we are, but it does ask us to be all we are.

Contemporary practice

While the ancient practice of yoga focused on the mind, the contemporary style focused on the body. It is more about body postures than mind steadiness. We come across many yoga classes which teach their students to practice dynamic kind of movements via body than teaching their students to practice stillness via the mind. The contemporary practice of yoga makes people believe that yoga is much more complicated to follow in one’s life. Because of this, the most important ancient fact that “anybody can breathe and practice yoga” turns obscure. In short, a group has reduced yoga to mere physical exercises by forgetting that yoga is for the mind, body, and breathing.

Conclusion

A wrong concept can mislead the understanding, and a wrong understanding can mislead the right concept. We all, indeed, love to cherish new things as time goes by. But we should also remember that old is gold. We should examine the purpose first; then, we should inculcate the habit of practicing it next to enjoy its benefits at maximum. We must understand that yoga is not about touching our toes; instead, it is about what we learn on the way down. The yoga that we practice today may differ from the original. Still, we need to incorporate a few practices of ancient yoga that can help us choose truth over untruth, kindness over hardness, and purity over impurity in this modern era.

This beautiful verse from the holy scripture of Bhagavat Gita explains the sole purpose of Yoga- “Yoga is considered as one of the best journeys of the self, through the self, to the self.” This means that with the process of Yoga, people are able to celebrate their life and realize themselves with the help of specific asanas and techniques.

Taking time out for oneself is an underrated luxury in the modern world. The need to balance family and work is what everyone is concerned about. Moreover, the stress caused by unsettling worries often leads to an imbalance in one’s personal life that leads to making harsh decisions. Eventually, this led modern humans to seek to flush out their inner toxins to achieve peace and self-healing. That’s how Yoga was reborn and popularised into the modern world, which is now followed in various countries as a method of mental therapy.

Benefits of Yoga

People running behind money to make their life secure is an opportunity cost, i.e., losing our peace of mind. This is where Yoga acts as a bridge between the body and the mind, and the good vibes we get from it heal the discovery of self. Yoga’s numerous benefits are significant in social, spiritual, and psychological ways. Many studies conducted between people who practice Yoga and meditation and those who do not show a significant difference in their brain structures and the way they think and respond to various stressful situations in life.

 The reason behind the growing popularity of Yoga

Yoga is a healing process that is an amalgam of different meditation in relaxation techniques. Yoga is also beneficial to calm the mind and enhance concentration, bringing about emotional ability. It plays a significant role in reducing emotional and stressful baggage and is also helpful in curing behavioral disorders, nervous breakdowns, and maniac depression. There is just one condition for all people – everyone should practice consistently and carefully to achieve a complete transformation. However, like any other practice, Yoga also demands immense dedication and attention to attain mastery.

The COVID-19 pandemic was a disguised blessing because not only the people stopped running behind earthy riches, but they learned the precious value of their lives and valued the truth that the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle is the key to survival. Yoga acted as a portal to increase one’s power and helped people seek mental peace and satisfaction, especially during tough times. Seeking the benefits of Yoga as a simple alternative to harmonizing oneself with the world. The WHO mentioned Yoga as a medium to enhance health in its ‘Global Action Plan on Physical Activity 2018- 2030: more active people for a healthier world.’

Wrapping up

The treasures of Yoga have now travelled throughout the globe, and now it is being implemented by many countries as a mandatory in their daily routine. Sometimes, Yoga reflects our lives, which humans first discovered over 5000 years ago. Being able to stay the same and change simultaneously is, in fact, the very nature of popularity.

Introduction

“Yoga is a bright light, which when lit will never dim; the better you practice, the brighter the flame is.” Yoga means bringing together. The holistic approach of yoga teaches how to balance one’s life. It is true that when yoga is practiced consistently, it brings harmony to both mind and body. The art of yoga and meditation has changed the life of many, from common people to leaders in achieving all aspects of life. Now, let us see how to become an artist by practicing the art of yoga and meditation in our life.

The art of yoga

Who is an artist? One who masters an art is called an artist. Similarly, to be an artist of yoga and meditation, we must master the art of yoga and meditation. You might have a question: Why should we master yoga and meditation skills? And the answer is to become a leader at heart and a human on earth. As yoga empowers a positive and healthy lifestyle for physical and mental health, it helps to integrate the personality at the highest level. By teaching the habit of practicing yoga and meditation together, we can manage stress, control anxiety, improve our concentration and reduce the risk of many harmful diseases.

To be an artist

Yoga and meditation are as simple as breathing. One who can breathe can master yoga and meditation skills too. When yoga and meditation are practiced together, it helps a person to gain strength, confidence, flexibility, and balance. The meditation you follow and the asanas you practice consistently can help you to be more flexible via the body and strong via the mind. Depending upon your stamina and health conditions, choose meditation and practice asanas. Moreover, you can see the visible results in your body and mind over time when practiced regularly and ideally. It is essential to practice the art of meditation and yoga to be an artist.

 Conclusion

Whatever you do in life, yoga and meditation show you the way how to do it better. It is also one of the best ways to maintain emotional and spiritual health. Yoga and meditation are highly safe so anyone can practice them. No matter who you are, what you are, your shape, and your age! Practicing yoga and meditation can help you coordinate your mind and body in a straight line. It can make you feel refreshed and more energetic. Yoga is the key that unlocks the door to peace, tranquillity, and joy. Remember to practice it regularly and enjoy the health benefits at maximum. Once you master the skills, be ready to meet an artist in the mirror whom you have never seen before.

For many years, Yoga has been associated with vitality and excellent health. While there are many styles, these styles knock down all the anxiety and stress levels, blood pressure, and heart rate. But Yoga comes along with its cons too. So it is best to educate everyone about the disadvantages before anyone decides whether to make it into a habit or not.

Health Complications associated with Yoga

People with glaucoma are advised not to do Yoga without the doctor’s advice. While doing the inversion poses, it could cause intense ocular pressure and can also cause potential damage to the eyes.

Yoga stimulates high pressure while doing inversion poses and forceful breathing exercises. Anyone with pre-existing hypertension should be careful in doing these exercises.

Back injury and muscle strains are the most common problems that everyone experiences while doing Yoga. To avoid this, one should listen to their body and do poses that suit them.

Many Yoga poses affect the body and mind, which affect the body on a deeper level. Therefore, Yoga is also considered a full-body workout in two or three-hour sessions. Such intense yoga sessions can cause exhaustion which can manifest in weakness, dizziness, fatigue, and nausea. To avoid such symptoms, one must eat a light meal at least two to three hours before the session. It is also best to have a bottle handy thoroughly during practice.

Side effects of Yoga that affect mentally

Many yoga classes have a pattern and follow the same every day, eventually leading to possible stagnation and boredom. Suppose that that’s the case, then better to consult with the instructor to incorporate something new. It is important to challenge oneself since there are various types and styles of Yoga that allow no one to be stagnant or get bored.

The basic principle behind meditation is to live a stress-free life. But, unfortunately, wrong medications can cause so much harm to the body and mind. Also, other downsides of Yoga and meditation include negative thinking, resurfacing of childhood memories, anxiety, and other mental health problems. While people may often think these effects are symptoms of an underlying condition, they might not always be the cause of specific problems. Instead, understanding the damage could help people deal with the underlying conditions.

Winding up

Few people are at a greater risk of experiencing adverse side effects from practicing Yoga. So, if anyone has a pre-existing medical condition, it’s best to check with a medical professional before heading to class. And also, practicing too aggressively for the experience level and not being mindful in doing the poses will result in injury cases. It’s wise to practice under the guidance of a trainer for better health.

Yoga helps the mind, body, and soul. It is also true that there are lots of benefits to Yoga. Today, let us know some exciting facts on Yoga here.

1. The word Yoga comes from the Sanskrit word ‘yug.’ It means attachment or addition. So Yoga is ultimately the attachment or union of the soul with Paramatma, purush, or God.
2. Yoga isn’t just about physical exercises. Yoga aims to allow the free flow of prana or breathing through the body. Prana in Sanskrit also means ‘vital life’ or the ‘life force of the universe.’ You become aligned with the universe through Yoga.
3. Although different types of Yoga benefit different body parts, Kundalini yoga gives superhuman powers. All humans possess the five Clair senses. Yoga activates the primary seven chakras of the human body, allowing activation and manifestation of these senses.
4. In addition to a clear sense of the world, Yoga also facilitates a clear sense of the inner self. To achieve a better mind, body, and soul, Yoga balances the basic set-up of the human body. It balances the Vata-pitta-Kapha doshas, which constitute the human body. They rule hormones, temperament, and essential human traits.

1. Yoga can be fun. Yes, along with strenuous exercises and religious practices, new yoga types introduce fun factors too. There is dog yoga where you can partner up with puppies. The aim here is to make you happy, that’s it—along with getting healthy.
2. You can’t do Yoga with physical challenges or during temporary setbacks. No. Yoga is for all. There are simpler yoga asanas to include people. You can do an eagle pose by sitting down also to reap the benefits. And pregnancy can’t stop you. Prenatal Yoga explicitly helps women go through childbirth at ease.
3. Yoga is for women. Yes and no. Initially, only men practiced Yoga. That is why all the founding people of different types of Yoga were men. Originating in India, only men were sent to schools or practiced skills. Women joined later.
4. Yoga is a way of life. A person practicing Yoga is called a ‘yogi’ and ‘yogini,’ representing man and woman, respectively. They practice the teachings of the guru or initiator of their ‘dhyana,’ meditation. Only the guru does the ‘Deeksha’ or activation of life source. This event can be life-altering and have profound implications. Post this procedure; people become aware of their energy flow. It is not mandatory to be a vegetarian or vegan. But being one will help notice the energy flow well.
5. The International Day of Yoga has been celebrated every June 21st since 2015. Every year a theme is announced, and for 2022, India announced ‘Yoga for humanity. India has also included Yoga as a part of the Olympics as of 2016.

Anti-aging hacks are hardly new. Legend says that Queen Cleopatra used donkey milk to extend her youthful glow throughout her life. Recent studies say that our average life expectancy has risen from 50-75 over the last century- the drive to stay on the earth has also become much higher. But now, science has finally caught up to provide the best answer to whether Yoga is the secret to a long, healthy, and youthful life. You can also increase your health span and lifespan with the use of specific yoga practices.

Effects of Yoga on one’s longevity

The practice of Yoga has centuries of history followed by our ancient humans. No matter your skill level or the type of Yoga you practice, it can do wonders for your health. Regular Yoga and meditation provide many benefits like stress relief, a calm mind, stronger muscles, and overall well-being and happiness, which are all fundamental factors for longevity.

Mental Health

When our mental health is in good shape, we can better deal with stress and anxiety—which impact aging and longevity. Yoga also teaches us to be more focused on ourselves. Some even think of yoga sessions as therapy sessions, which we have medically proved to lower blood pressure and increase life span.

Yoga also makes us self-aware of the changes happening inside ourselves, which stimulates us to take good care of ourselves.

Flexibility and Balance

Yoga expands the physical limit of our body and may also ease aches and pains in old age. Maintaining our flexibility and range of motion into our senior years can also keep our bodies healthy and increase our quality of life.

Yoga incorporates different kinds of asanas, including the basic balancing poses. With better balance comes increased communication between the two hemispheres of the brain and a much more confident and sure-footed way to enter our older years.

Weight loss and Digestion

Yoga can help people gain control over themselves and their food choices, which encourages people to exercise regularly and eat healthily.

Yoga also strongly emphasizes breathing techniques which provide increased oxygenation of the body. In addition, some poses, particularly the twisting asanas, stimulate the digestive tract, improving Digestion.

Summing up

According to many researches, the benefits of Yoga are tangible. For example, continuous yoga practice will help lower blood pressure and is the best method for physical and mental therapy sessions. Let this article be a good source of motivation to take up yoga practices seriously for its abundance of good values. By reading this article, you can also get started with yoga practices to lead a healthier and happier life.

Yoga is a booming business, with more than one entrepreneur entering this field, and the number of customers is also increasing daily. However, running a yoga studio can be intimidating as it requires time, research, and resources. Here are the steps that have to be followed to establish a well-flourishing yoga business.

Get Yoga Certification

Obtaining a yoga certificate from a recognized institution is essential because this will be the first parameter the clients expect from you. Furthermore, this certificate will initiate the dream of turning your yoga studio into a brand.

Pick a Specialty

With yoga offering various kinds, choosing the course you are passionate about is better. Please only choose the course that offers a little money since there are possibilities that you might struggle to climb up in the business since it lacks your input.

Pick a name, logo, and location.

The most critical work is to choose a name and design a logo. The name must be simple, catchy, and easy to remember. Before creating the logo, get inspired by other logos to ensure that yours stands out in the crowd effectively. The studio must be located so that there are few or no competitors around that area, as it helps you gather a crowd quickly.

Formulate a business plan

This is the most time-intensive part of this process. First, find out how much capital you need during the initial stage. Know who is going to be the target audience. Decide upon the number of service packages along with their fees. Before finalizing the fee, study the market thoroughly, ensuring that we charge reasonably only. For example, if you are starting your yoga business as a brick-and-mortar establishment, the plan must include rent, utility expenses, finances for managing staff, etc.

Market and expand your brand

Create a user-friendly website to promote your yoga classes among your target audience. Ensure the website is attractive and offers the best user experience for everyone. One of the best methods to get innovative clients is running the best yoga studio. Generally, people will tell their friends about it, and the word will quickly spread. There are many different marketing options to choose between – it’s all about finding the right one.

Wrapping Up

A yoga studio is a destination that makes a difference in others’ lives—helping their mental and physical well-being. However, it requires your constant input and support to run smoothly. Successfully running a yoga studio or yoga business takes a plethora of time. However, with a solid plan and business structure, it is possible to make your dreams come true. It also takes a lot of patience and stability to run a successful yoga business.