The Power of Yoga as a Meditative Technique - Research Paper Example

XXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXX The power of Yoga It is said that a healthy mind lives in a healthy body. If the body is in harmony then mind is always flooded with fresh thoughts. Numerous researches have highlighted the positive effects of exercising. But a few weeks back I came across a book on yoga and it changed my life forever. Yoga is not a form of exercise but a meditative technique that calms the mind and makes the body supple. Yoga is supposed to be done without much physical effort. The purpose of exercising, jogging and aerobics lies in their ability to make a person sweat, make his heart beat at a faster rate and hence, reduces the fat present in the body. But Yoga deals with the breath, mind and quite subtly, the soul. It releases the toxins in the body and harmonizes the whole body. Many people use yoga to lose weight. This is possible as Yoga makes a person calm, reduces stress and hence addictions such as overeating and alcoholism are cured to a great degree. Yoga is an ancient meditative technique proposed originally by an Indian sage called Patanjali. It is a Sanskrit word and its literal meaning is ‘union’. The word union is used because Yoga unites the lost soul of a human being back to its god. There are many types of yoga postures and these are practiced by the saints and sages in the Himalayan region of India. But ordinary people also practice it throughout the world. When I saw the various yoga postures I thought that I won’t be able to do them. This is because they look very weird and seem to be inspired from the postures of the animals. For example, there is yoga posture called ‘Singhasan’ which literally means the ‘posture of a lion’. In it one has to lie on the belly, lift the body up by hands, take the tongue out (like a lion) and make a loud noise at the top of one’s throat (roar!!). But as I gleaned through the pages I realized that there were many methods which were very simple and extremely effective. The simplest Yoga posture is ‘Shavaasan’ which means ‘The posture of a corpse’ (Mumford, 15). I know this sounds frightening but it is quite simple. Just lie down on a flat ground or floor, loosen the body, relax the mind and follow your breath. Don’t move the body and be peaceful, like a corpse. After a few minutes the mind becomes very still and the body rejuvenates. This is the magic of yoga. I have always had problems with my concentration. I find it hard to concentrate on many things especially studies. My attention span seems to be decreasing day by day. I sought for a remedy in yoga. I saw many useful techniques but I chose two of the simplest and combined them into one. The two yoga postures are ‘Kapaal-bhaati’ and ‘Traatak’. They mean ‘skull illuminating’ and ‘fixed gazing’ (Datey, 187). Yoga is not just only about right postures and breathing techniques. It also instructs about right diet and right way of living. I came to know about an ancient Hindu belief that the early morning time (4 a.m. to 6 a.m.) called as Brahm-Muhurat meaning ‘the time of god’. This is the best time to practice yoga (Satguru, 764). It is prescribed to be the best time to study because of the perfect hormonal balance in the body at this time. As I said earlier, I practiced two kinds of yoga postures at the same time. I would get up in the morning and go to a park nearby. There I would find a leveled ground to sit on. After spreading my mattress and sitting in the ‘Sukhaasan’ meaning the ‘posture of comfort’, I would fix my gaze on any tree or flower in front of my eyes. The method was to look at the object (tree, flower, building etc) and not blink. Simultaneously I performed kapaalbhaati and exhaled with a thrust. This put a pressure on my chest and the next breath came simultaneously. This process was repeated many times while keeping the gaze fixed on the object. After doing this for a certain period of time I lied down and relaxed in the Shavaasan. It is at that time I realized the real significance of the yoga of kapaalbhaanti (skull shining). It flows the energy of the body towards the skull and calms the mind. I believed that I had found a miracle which would keep me healthy throughout my life. I used to practice it daily and the results were marvelous. In the first week I felt calm, confident and motivated to achieve excellence in my life. I could see improvement in my studies because my memory sharpened. As the weeks passed I became extremely calm and my old habit of worrying about trivial things vanished. I took every obstacle as a challenge. I am not alone who is fascinated by this thing called Yoga. There are millions of people in India, Nepal, United States and Europe who practice it one form or the other. While in United States of America it is performed by people inside their houses or in group in their yoga classes, in India, yoga is a very visible phenomenon. You can find people on rooftops, gardens, parks and even offices doing these yogic postures. They use different methods because they want to achieve their own particular objectives. From insomnia to diabetes, yoga can cure people from many diseases. I enjoyed my experience of yoga and will continue it throughout my life. I hope that in current times of child obesity and hypertension among adults, yoga will show people the right path to personal health. Information Sheet COMFORTABLE POSTURE WITH STRAIGHT SPINE CONCENTRATION ON THE BREATHING HEALTHY BALANCED DIET REDUCTION OF STRESS PEACE OF MIND YOGA References Datey, D. Yoga And Your Heart. New Delhi: Jaico Publishing House. 1993. Satguru, S. Dancing with Shiva. New Delhi: Himalayan Academy Publications. 2003 Mumford, J. A Chakra & Kundalini Worbook. New Delhi: Llewellyn Worldwide. 1995 Read More