The practice of yogi is an ancient one which uses different forms of energy, meditation or breath control among others, to attain enlightenment, spiritual growth and personal development; this can be achieved through the use of such practices like chanting, body scanning, breathing exercises, meditating and many more.
In my research on how yoga helps in brain health, I came across studies done by scientists for the U.S National Institutes of Health about a study they conducted last year (2020) that found out that yoga improved blood volume and other brain functions. The researchers studied 12 people with pre-existing hypertension as well as those who had hypertension but had never been diagnosed. They used brain scans and found that participants who were practicing yoga were able to reduce their blood pressure by 4.5 mm Hg and lower resting blood pressure by 3 mm Hg. They stated that even though most blood pressure in these subjects was normal before starting yoga, it was still reduced after the start of the yoga practice. This study supports the idea that yoga can help those who have pre-existing conditions like high blood pressure and heart or brain diseases, in reducing the severity of their symptoms and improving overall health and wellness.
Many people do not realize the fact that yoga has helped me personally. One thing that I always tell myself when I wake up, I start off by saying “Yoga” and then start doing what I need to do in the morning to get healthy. My mind would often wander and this would drive me into doing what I wasn’t really good at doing, and my life would just feel empty. However, when I began to follow the simple rules of my yoga practice, suddenly it became more manageable. Within 4 months, I became calmer and happier. In 1 hour I could do anything that I wanted to do and that feeling made me very excited for the rest of the week. When I went back to work, all my worries disappeared because I was focused on getting things done. At home, I felt like someone actually wanted to help me and the world was moving in the right direction. Now I love reading novels instead of watching TV. I am happy and very fulfilled and I have started doing yoga again. It is much easier and fun than walking in place and not being able to move. You are just trying to stay still. Because you have learned how to remain still, your mind is calm to begin with. Since meditation is so important for anyone, I encourage everyone to try their best at their own practice and see how great it feels. Not only do some of us have our times where we can feel overwhelmed or that our minds are constantly wandering, but sometimes we must go back and give ourselves permission to sit quietly for 5 minutes and really think about what we want. We cannot always be busy on social media because that will cause us to become tired. So we need to sit down and ask ourselves these 3 questions, do I want to live my dreams, focus on the little things and make time for myself. And if I don’t, maybe one day I will find the courage to change my negative habits into positive ones to motivate me and keep me going.
When I started the practice of yoga, I saw results immediately and my confidence grew. Instead of focusing on distractions, I focused on what I was doing. But without proper guidance, I started to get distracted easily from what I wanted to do. Without any of the proper guidance and knowledge, this practice becomes extremely lonely. With this knowledge however, I can understand how to stay within the limits of a 5 minute workout. Most of the time I find myself taking longer but it is necessary to be on task, no matter how long it takes to complete an exercise. If you ever feel like giving up just remember that you are learning something. There are always new ways to improve and develop new skills so there is always room for improvement and growth. Just practice through everyday and enjoy yourself every time.
You must be logged in to post a comment.