Often when I ask healthcare professionals about what I can do to improve my health, the answer I get is, most of the time, to go to the pool or do yoga.
- My back hurts: Do Yoga
- I’m stuck everywhere, I need to relax: Do Yoga
- I’m stressed, I slept badly, I need to sleep: Do Yoga
- I did a lot of intense sports or I just resumed sports, I have a lot of aches: Do yoga
- I got hurt, I would like to help myself heal well and faster: Do Yoga
- I would like to strengthen myself gently: Do yoga
Do yoga: Yes But why?
I have worked a lot in an office. Having a rather fragile health and coming from a family of farmers, I told myself that the physical conditions would be less difficult in an office. Yes, this is the case in the short term. But in the long run, other physical problems appear.
– Sedentary lifestyle
- Standing still for several hours a day, every day and for several years makes you very sedentary. Muscle mass disappears, muscles stiffen and manifest their agony via cramps, body aches. They no longer support the backbone of our bodies. Nerves take over. The body collapses and suffers.
– Stress
- While counting the daily stress that manifests itself through a continuous contraction of what remains of muscles and nerves. This causes long-term physical blockages, especially in the cervical, back, arms and hands.
Every small incident remains manageable as long as it is isolated and short-term. But when each small incident accumulates, in the long term, the body manifests itself more often and more regularly until it touches our mind.
We have in our bodies, and in our minds, a certain quota of patience. We understand naturally that healing takes time. We then take our pain in patience. But if the evils accumulate, and the quota is exceeded, then our mind is reached, whether we realize it or not.
– Burn out
Often at this point, we are in a state of burnout. We get very upset, and for nothing. Tears rise when we do not even know the reason. One, we can no longer listen to others. Two, we are a bit like in a state of panic or constant guilt. And three, we feel like we don’t even know how to breathe properly, and so on… Then we need a radical change in our lives! A long sick leave and/or retraining are necessary.
Yoga helps during these difficult times of healing. It can also help at an earlier stage, in prevention.
But then, what is yoga?
– Yoga and its history
The word yoga has been found in Indian hymns, which date from between the -15th and -10th Centuries. But it had different meanings at that time. It is between the second century BC. J.-C. and the fifth century that is codified the philosophy of yoga in the Yoga-sûtra (collection). Yoga (योग in Devanāgarī) is a Sanskrit term. It refers to a set of practices aimed at the fusion of body and mind, towards unity and inner peace.
Yoga made itself known in the United States in 1893 in Chicago. This is the first time that the West has received a “Hindu monk”, Vivekananda, a disciple of Râmakrishna. He published the book Raja Yoga (1896), his interpretation of Patañjali’s Yoga Sutra adapted to Westerners. And it can be considered the origin of modern yoga.
According to historian Meera Nanda, “Contemporary yoga is a unique example. A truly global creation, in which Eastern and Western practices have merged, to produce a discipline valued worldwide. ». Others believe that yoga has become a patchwork of these Eastern disciplines, with Western currents. Like for example gymnastics, or bodybuilding from the end of the 19th century.
Meera Nanda
“Contemporary yoga is a unique example of a truly global creation, in which Eastern and Western practices have merged to produce a discipline that is valued around the world. »
In December 2014, the United Nations General Assembly designated 21 June as “International Yoga Day”. In order to “make known the benefits of the practice of yoga”.
The basic rules
Yoga is accessible to everyone!
Yoga is accessible for all levels. Everyone follows the same postures and evolves at their own pace. Careful! It is important never to force! You do not increase your flexibility by forcing. On the contrary, the body will rebel and retract, or injure itself.
yoga and breathing
We must therefore find our own limit, and accept it. This is when breathing plays an important role. Breathe deeply. And focusing on its blocking areas, allows the body to accept the position and relax. That is how we can improve our flexibility. One of the benefits of yoga is that it forces us to improve how we breath to get more flexibility.
Personally, I particularly enjoy yin yoga. During a yin yoga session, we dwell for several minutes on certain key positions. This allows you to take the time to breathe (meditate on your position). And therefore increase its flexibility.
Like a child who rediscovers his body
Finally Yoga allows you to rediscover your body. We adopt postures that we could never have imagined being able to achieve. Or even that we haven’t realized since we were a child. Personally, I couldn’t perform most of the postures at first! And for sure I had to look very stupid when I finally got there! But the goal is certainly not aesthetic. On the contrary, the goal is above all to feel the benefits, the release after a yoga session. Thus the tensions disappear, the body relaxes and becomes more flexible. Like when you come out of a massage session or Spa.
What parts of the body does yoga focus on?
Yoga works on all parts of our body. Some postures are dedicated to the upper body and the back. Others focus on the lower body, buttocks, hips, thighs and calves. The buttocks are a heavily worked part during yoga. Because this is where the daily stress is stored. And it’s often the least moving part when you’re sitting.
Yoga and flexibility
As well, another one from all the benefits of yoga is, that it allows you to relax while getting stronger. It will then improve our positions over time; be sitting or standing straighter, correcting one’s posture, and feeling our body just saying thank you.
The first effects are immediate. After each session, we feel well and relaxed, in osmosis with our body. Then flexibility takes place and improves over time. The evolution of flexibility is very variable, depending on the age and the current state of the body. But no matter your level, the results will only be beneficial!
Can we practice yoga in addition to other sports?
Finally know that you can also practice yoga in tandem with any other type of sport. the benefits of yoga will also be effective on them. Whether it’s combat, cardio, flexibility or endurance sports, you’ll see that yoga will only help you improve your performance. More attentive to your body, you will be more aware of the importance of your breathing, your concentration and your limits. You will learn to better accept your limits, and how you can push them back with the right techniques.
This discipline, recognized worldwide, mixing Eastern and Western practices, and accessible to all, brings many benefits to our mind as well as to our body. Practiced with great respect, listening to his breathing, his body and his limits, you will be happy to have, you too, adopted this discipline.
to go further…
If you are interested in yoga, and you have back problems for example; several easy yoga postures are available in the article: “Sitting too long? : 9+ yoga postures that relieve”. Otherwise a multitude of videos are available on Youtube. Personally I am a fan of Juliana from Boho Beautiful. Most of his videos are available for free on Youtube. The videos are always superb, with very beautiful landscapes. And there is always something available for all levels.
Take care of yourself because no one will know how to do it better than yourself.:D
