Yoga and its Significance

Yoga as its name suggests is summing up (YOG A - In Indian language).
So how Yoga sums up gives the answer to your next query, its significance.
Yoga - Sums up or uplifts your life by:

• YAMA - Making life disciplined.
• NIYAMA - Enhancing Social Skills.
• ASANAS - Enhances physical Strength.
• PRANAYAMA - Improving life span & curing respiratory disorders.
• PRATYAHARA - Improves your control on primary & secondary sensory organs.
• DHARANA - Improves your single point focus abilities.
• DHAYANA (MEDITATION) - Improves self realization, concentration & mental ability & reduces stress [If done with proper form & guidance].
• SAMADHI - Merging to the god with self realization. [Now this is only meant for rarest or rare yogies, not for us quorans. This level can only be achieved by those who are beyond any materialistic world].

We common people can only perform asanas or pranayama not even genuine meditation. However real taste of yoga can only be achieved if we go by the sequence mentioned above. But the fact is in this fast forward world, we need instant results from everything. So we directly switch to Asanas & Pranayama.

Good Variation in daily habits

Your body & brain is smart enough to get habitual to similar tasks performed on daily basis. So for optimal health improvements it is necessary to bring variation to your daily intakes in the form of food or drink, along with your workout variations. So that your body does not get adaptable to similar use on daily basis. The best way is to either use 7 day variation  in diet plan or altering your daily diet with surprise in nutrition intake.

Best benefits you can get from seasonal fruits & veggies for micro-nutrients ( Vitamins & Minerals). So always include seasonal foods.
For macro-nutrients you may opt for nuts, seeds, eggs or non-veg.

Now other than healthy eating variations. We also need to bring variation in our daily workouts & exercises followed by resting or relaxing days.

Like
Monday = [Lower Body] => Leg + Calfs+ Thighs + Glutes Day
Tuesday = [Arms Day] => Shoulders+Forearms+Triceps
Wednesday = [Biceps + Back Day]
Thursday = Rest
Friday = [Chest+Back Day]
Saturday = [Abs Day] = Abs+Obliques
Sunday = Yoga + Pranayama

Above list is sample example, you may vary as per your convenience, all you need to remember is bring variation to eating & exercising habits. 

Lifestyle Changes

Before working on improvements for better health on the basis of exercise or diet. We have to focus on certain lifestyle changes to get optimal results on health improvement.Now before telling details of lifestyle changes, i will keep this topic short & my prime focus will be, to guide on simple but daily lifestyle changes for improvements in life.

Now some Do's & Don'ts of daily life:

1. Sleep
2. Breath
3. Drink

SLEEP - We all know importance of sleeping to re-energize our body. But due to hectic life schedule & excessive use of mobile devices. We compromise the right way to sleep.

Medically its recommended for 7 to 9 hours of sleep for good physical & mental health.You also need to avoid mobile, internet or television at least 30 mins, before bed. You may read books instead. 

So make it a habit to sleep 7 to 9 hours daily. 

Reason - All body tissue damage is repaired during sleep mode. Also all your body energy chakras get relaxed & activated for better performance.

Breath - We all know importance of breathing, but as we age our breathing changes from belly breathing as toddlers to chest shallow breathing. This age us faster & also takes time in any recovery or healing process in body.

What we need though to change is change our shallow chest breathing to rhythmic belly breathing.

Make sure its rhythmic belly breathing but not forcibly belly breathing. 

Reason - Rhythmic belly breathing is also termed as diaphragm breathing, which is main respiratory organ responsible to segregate thoracic region organs to lumbar region organs. So rhythmic belly breathing not only fills our lung with oxygen, but at the same time energies and massages all body organs associated to lumbar & sacral region.

Drink - Here i will only mention for Water, other drinks details i will share in other blogpost.

So as we know importance of water in daily life. But rare people know that water can also be equally damaging for body, if not taken in proper way or right time.

So you may take water any way & anytime, but avoid it in ways i am listing below:

Avoid Water Intake:

• Water 10 degree centigrade or more colder than body temperature.
• 45 mins before bed.
• 45 mins. before or after heavy meal.

Reason - Our body normal temperature is approx. 32 degree centigrade, out internal organs are also warm & always functional. Drinking cooler or freeze water does more damage then benefits.

Same is applicable to meals, our food is full of energy & our food items already contains amount of water required with meals, so avoid taking further water 45 mins before or after meals. As it restricts normal digestion or secretion of saliva or bile juices. For mentioning not to drink water at least 45 mins before bed, is to avoid over hydration, it may also result in sleep disturbance caused by cough.

Other than avoiding cold water or taking in in specified times, you may take it all the time, but in smaller amounts approx. 250 ml to 300 ml at a time.