Introduction
Yoga—that was at the time, the most exotic word I heard at the age of 9. It sounded childish, almost cartoonish, probably because it was a letter away from that bear in Yellowstone Park, Yogi. To my very young mind, that word was a very cool play on letters. Color me intrigued. As I grew older, that interest faded mainly due to the environment I grew up in which was very far from the chill and relaxed way how the gurus lived their lives.
Rekindling Interest
Lately, however, that interest started to rekindle. This pandemic has forced me to reevaluate some life choices and allowed me to self-actualize.
I wanted to find a way to drown out all the noise that the world kept throwing at me. While scrolling away, which was what I seem to be doing most these days, I found an Instagram post showing different yoga mantras.
I clicked on the profile, and it seemed like a rabbit hole of wellness and inner peace. Just like that I found my way back to yoga.
Getting into Yoga Lifestyle
This article is a beginner’s perspective on how to get into the yoga lifestyle. This is far from being a tip or a self-help guide into yoga.
I am in no way in the position to be anyone’s guru just yet. These are simple answers to a newbie’s what’s and why’s. Let us journey together and find wellness through yoga.
Stereotyped Activity
When most people hear the word ‘yoga’, there’s a very good chance that images of bodies twisting come into their minds.
Especially outside Southern Asia, the idea of yoga is very stereotypical, meditation, posture, and a mat. While all these things can be attributed to yoga, it should be important to remember that it is more than just that.
Dr. Ishwar Basavaraddi says that yoga is essentially a spiritual discipline based on an extremely subtle science, which focuses on bringing harmony between mind and body.
How to start a yoga lifestyle?
Truly, yoga has evolved from its humble practices. The ancient Indian approach was different from how we practice it today.
To them, yoga was a way of life, it was a guide on how to live their lives. It involved understanding philosophies, earning good karma, kindness towards others, and learning to live with the environment.
Yoga lifestyle involves understanding our place in the universe of life and our relationship with other beings.
Shifting our mindset to yoga could be overwhelming but here are simple steps that we could all learn from, namely:
First, research and study. Just like any other discipline, yoga involves many knowledge that helps in attaining wellness and balance.
There are numerous blogs and websites that cater beginners. Some gurus have social media platforms that are very accessible.
Second, pay attention to your own body and its rhythm. Our bodies naturally have its own clock that runs in its own time.
If we listen to it more, we can learn when to take a pause, when to start again, when to delve into a deeper understanding of ourselves.
Ancient yogis started their days early by going to bed early too. They believed that our bodies feel more energized when we wake up without waiting for daybreak.
Third, eat healthier. Paying attention to our body clocks is just one step. We should also be more mindful of what we eat.
The traditional yoga lifestyle involved a vegetarian diet. But we don’t need to go there yet especially if it’s a major lifestyle change.
We could start by consciously adding more plant-based food to our diet without totally eliminating the food we are used to consuming.
We can explore protein-rich plants and learn from very helpful YouTube videos showing different recipes that fit into the yoga lifestyle.
Fourth, join yoga groups and forums. Starting a yoga lifestyle should be fun. We can try to make this experience worthwhile by looking for same-minded individuals and build friendships along the way.
After all, the yoga lifestyle is about an awareness of being one with others.
What does it mean to live a yogic lifestyle?
Deciding to live a yoga lifestyle is a conscious choice. It shifts our thoughts and bodies to a different and new means of living.
By adopting yoga, we are introducing small changes into our routines, awareness, and habits. These could very well change our whole lives.
Valuable Life
Our physical bodies could be more attuned to our environment as we appreciate more the value of life. We can become better stewards of nature when we respect all living beings which yoga can teach us.
A yoga lifestyle can also improve our mental health by silencing dark thoughts through the power of meditation. We can build stronger spiritual connections and share peace to other people.
Responsible Member of the Community
Yoga also teaches us to be more responsible members of society and build stronger relations with our community.
The yoga lifestyle is also a growing and learning experience always. Yoga strives for knowledge, and it naturally improves as we grow.
We learn new stuff about ourselves and the outside world and we can apply these in our daily lives. Tolerance and patience are virtues that yogis also develop over time.
Through an open mind, we can become different persons from who we were when we started. We can become a combination of all good things that yoga teaches.
Yoga lifestyle diet
As we have earlier learned, embracing a yoga lifestyle does not mean we have to totally abandon our current diet choices and go vegetarian or vegan all of a sudden. A yoga lifestyle is about having a healthy, complete and nutritious diet.
Fruits and Vegetable
We should introduce more fruits and vegetables to our diet. Yoga believes in reducing animal protein since it is filled with tamasic energy—the three main energetic constituents of the universe.
An overabundance of tamasic animal energy can lead to apathy, laziness, and general feeling of darkness.
Yoga teaches us that what we put into our bodies have a direct effect on our outward attitudes and ways to deal with the world.
Whole Grains and Legumes
Gurus also advise to consume more sattvic and nutrient rich food like whole grains and legumes. Sattvic diet are light.
In Ayurvedic teachings, sattvic food is thought to increase energy, makes people happier, helps people to have calmness and mental clarity.
Organic Foods
These are simple steps to start a yoga diet. As we progress in our journey, we can adapt into a more organic and locally grown foods.
We can also help minimize waste by eating more natural and avoiding processed food. Introducing fresh seasonal foods to our palette will help in ridding our bodies from unhealthy ingredients that artificially grown foods have built in our systems.
What is yoga healthy life?
All these so far make up a yoga healthy life. We have learned that yoga teaches harmony between the mind and the body.
A yoga lifestyle improves physical strength, balance, and flexibility. The different asanas can help our bodies increase blood flow, warm our muscles, and improve our endurance and strength.
The many available yoga classes are also an avenue for community-building.
Sleep Improvement
Yoga has been shown to improve our sleep cycles. According to an article published in Johns Hopkins Medicine, consistent bedtime yoga routine can help in getting the right mindset and prepare the body to fall asleep and stay asleep. The yoga philosophy can really improve a person’s overall health.
Promoting Self-Care
Yoga also encourages us to understand our bodies better and thus helps us to spot early signs of illness and symptoms.
It is an effective way of promoting self-care. Stress can also be managed better with yoga. The National Institutes of Health pronounced that scientific proof has shown that yoga supports stress management, mental health, and mindfulness.
Practicing yoga was shown to reduce inflammation. In a study, people who practiced yoga had lower levels of inflammatory markers than those who didn’t. It is being used in senior-assisted homes, cancer survivor therapies, and trauma recoveries.
Yogic lifestyle kundalini
Kundalini is known, in Hinduism, as a form of divine energy believed to be found at the base of the spine.
Practitioners believe that when properly cultivated and awakened, kundalini can lead to spiritual liberation.
Suffice it to say, it is one practice that can lead to spiritual awakening. It is primarily honed through meditation, chanting of mantras, and breathing.
According to several gurus, kundalini yoga can change a person’s consciousness and transform every aspect of one’s life.
Kundalini awakening is a powerful spiritual experience which takes years for a yogi and practitioner to reach.
According to some articles, kundalini can be awakened in several ways but oftentimes very individual and unpredictable.
The benefits of a kundalini awakening are plenty. It is said to be an amazing tool for self-improvement which has long-term beneficial change.
Some who have attained kundalini had major life shifts including a feeling of bliss, improved psychic abilities, creativity, and stronger spiritual connection.
Other have felt compelled to change their jobs, relationships and move their entire lives to realize their awakening.
Kundalini is a reminder that our lives and consciousness go beyond our known perception. This fact alone can scare some people to even try kundalini awakening.
Final Thoughts
The ancient art and science of yoga has been helping people live better and harmonious lives and it will continue to do so for centuries to come.
Our contemporary existence needs yoga more in the face of daily stress, pressure, diseases, strife, and despair. If everyone adopts a yoga lifestyle, we could see more peaceful, empathetic, and healthy societies.
Yoga empowers our mind and spirit to live with nature and its other creations. It bridges the gap between the physical world and the spiritual world which helps us understand our universe more.
Practicing yoga clears our mind from the anxiety and stress that comes with a fast-paced environment. It also stabilizes our routines which in turn stabilizes our whole system of thought.
A yoga lifestyle can center our minds and help us increase awareness about ourselves and the people around us. It also prevents us from draining out and feel overwhelmed about life’s challenges.
Yoga also creates a community. It can build new relationships with new people and strengthen old ones. It increases our ability to be mindful of others and be more compassionate and kinder.
These are just a few benefits of a yoga lifestyle. The decision to shift into one can be really challenging but the results can be life altering.
At the end of the day, you should be empowered to make your own choices on how to live your life and may you find the wisdom to live it someday.
