How Is Yoga Making The World A Better Place?

Yoga is, by far, one of the most sought-after exercises. The nature of this workout entices people to engage in this bodily activity. Not only toning and helping the human physique attain its optimal balance, yoga also trains the mind to act in unison with the body.

Hence, yoga is not only for purposes of transforming, for the better, your physique, sculpting the same to your satisfaction, but also seeking the inner peace that the mind can fathom and unearth through the process of appropriate breathing and meditation, coupled with performing complex position simultaneously. One can attain inner peace adjoined with optimum fitness by just engaging in yoga practice.

What is Yoga about?

In its most complex yet nutshell definition, yoga is the oneness of the self. The word yoga is of Sanskrit origin. It came from the Sanskrit root “yuj”. Breaking it down, this word literally means “yoke”, “bind”, or “join together”. More importantly, it signifies and symbolizes “union” and “oneness”.

Yoga is also an esoteric discipline and has a metaphysical approach in terms of spirituality and divinity. In the latter concepts, yoga results in revealing the “Self”. As one of the famous yoga philosophers emphasized: “Yoga is a Journey of the Self, Through the Self, and To the Self”.

Ultimately, it is the means, by which, we realize that there is no separation between anyone or anything. Everything is One. According to the Yoga Shikha Upanishad: “Verily, there is no virtue greater than Yoga, no good greater than Yoga, and no subtlety greater than Yoga. There is nothing that is greater than Yoga.”

Hridaya-yoga

Bellur Krishnamachar Sundararaja [B. K. S.] Iyengar popularized Yoga in this manner:

“Yoga is an art, a science and a philosophy. It touches the life of man at every level, physical, mental, and spiritual. It is a practical method for making one’s life purposeful, useful and noble.

As honey is sweet from any part of the honeycomb, so is yoga.

It enables every part of the human system to become attuned to its essence, the conscious seer within.

Yoga alone enables the practitioner to perceive and experi­ence the world within and around himself, to touch the divine joy of all creation, and then to share that nectar of divine wealth and happiness with his fellow beings.”

B.K.S. Iyengar [Hridaya-yoga]

How does yoga make the world a better place?

Yoga can be a discipline, art, science, and exercise all at the same time. Yoga may help chart the world to somehow become a better place. The reason being is that yoga’s one perfect result is to fight, reduce, and alleviate stress. If people can tame tension, whether coming from the mind or body, peaceful thinking can be the offshoot. Thus, one can have peace of mind. Yoga is one vehicle to achieve such a state or condition. With this result, the world as a better place can be achievable.

As mentioned, practicing yoga helps relieve stress, both in the body and in the mind. Yoga has natural healing power. While there is no substitute for a proper medicine for any disease, yoga, however, may assist in easing the tension lingering in the cerebral aspect of an individual.

This tension is the best by-product of so many stressors. Likewise, the physical activity in the course of practicing yoga, such as the applicable asanas, can promote optimal conditioning of the human’s corporeal aspect.

Yoga has a natural appeal. The poses and the physical exertions and executions are attractive to the eyes. These attractions are the initial paths for one to try yoga. While being difficult at first, still, because of its natural beauty and healing power, you will be eventually hooked in engaging in such a workout regimen regularly. Hence, consistency and perfection will eventually follow. Yoga is sexy as they say!

The below scenarios may give a glimpse of what yoga practice can bring to a certain group or class of humans. These activities and strategies can have positive impacts on human lives, thereby, making the world a better place to live in.

Socio-community outreach program

Prisoner’s yoga

Integrating yoga in correctional programs may prove beneficial. We all know that inmates have in their system the inevitable psychological trauma, whether in a small or gargantuan degree. They have been put to a lot of stresses, tensions, and the likes.

Yoga, being a combatant against pressures and tensions, may help the inmates be at peace within themselves and their environment as the case may be. Proper breathing, meditation, and posture can do a lot of benefits within the body that may finally reach the mind.

Moreover, they will be focused on what they are doing and what they are about to do. This will battle their idleness, for the latter, according to St. Benedict of Nursia, is the best enemy of the soul.

One popular quote from an inmate practicing yoga:

“If you can relax through the painful positions, you can relax through painful situations in life.”

Kevin Lewis [Doyou]

Kids and Yoga

At this point, it is best to indulge our kids in certain beneficial workouts. Preliminary yoga for kids is the best way to start with. At a young age, children are more receptive to try new things. They are very attentive, and you can easily get their attention, especially in every endeavor that may excite them.

As we have discussed, yoga has a natural appeal to humans. Kids are not exempted. They may regard yoga as an interesting exercise. Aside from their excitements, which may propel them to indulge in such body workouts, once they learn the basics and have continuously engaged themselves in yoga, they will find it beneficial for their young minds and health.

Because they are loving what they are doing, they may have impliedly fought stresses that relatively come with their formative age. This yoga discipline can instill focus and concentration in them, besides acquiring healthy postures.

Naturally, owing to the tenderness of their bodies, while they are flexible, guidance with step-by-step positions and movements must always be pursued in teaching the kids the rudiments thereof.

Community Program fighting stress

Just like other community-related organizations that try to battle life’s stressors, such as but not limited to alcoholism, drug addiction, and other related vices, in some ways, they can integrate the practice of yoga to help not just their cognitive functions but also their physical well-being.

The relative view on somewhat ostracized classes of individuals, such as but not limited to LGBT Community, HIV-Afflicted Persons, or similar groups also affects the conduct and relationship of these people within their respective societal clusters.

The persons belonging in this groups may find peace when they integrate within their daily routine the practice of yoga. In fine, they can achieve positive changes by releasing the tensions from their bodies and minds.

Of course, this does not necessarily mean that exercise should be abruptly integrated. This may happen in a series of gradual and stage-by-stage applications. Before integrating, studies and experiments should be conducted first so as to align the yoga goals with the objective of the community program.

Psychologically troubled

We cannot also discount those persons who experience psychologically debilitating and devastating situations. These includes rape victims, sexually molested, emotionally abused, and physically battered individuals. They are plagued with so much stress, tensions, and pressures in life. They need an outlet.

While counselling may be a source for catharsis, still, physical health recognition can help hasten its effectiveness. With optimum fitness and attaining peace of mind, among others, as the foremost goals of yoga, the latter may serve as the bridge to take away the afflicted individuals from the harmful effects of bad experiences.

Common Denominator

You may very well notice that the common denominators in the above scenarios are stress, tensions, and pressures. These affect both the mind and the physical well-being of individuals who are the subjects of, and circling around, these environments.

Nonetheless, as far as the effects of yoga and the yoga itself are concerned, these stressors can be mitigated, if not totally eradicated. In fact, the harmful effects of those in human beings may well be decentralized to the point of being converted into small particles so as to have little to no effect after all.

Proofs that Yoga can make the world a better place

The above-discussed concepts and strategies are evidence that yoga, when integrated into routine activities, can reduce the effects of stress in life. Combatting pressures and tensions in a strategic way may result in a healthy and gradual easing of their harmful effects.

These are gradual results from slowly including yoga practice the above community regimen. Proofs can be seen in the prevalence of yoga schools and teachings incorporated in these concepts and strategies. it is undisputed that there are yoga classes encircling the globe. This buttresses the fact that yoga has occasioned so many benefits to people practicing the same.

Final Thoughts

Yoga has full packed benefits. Not only capitulating your mind to discover yourself, yoga also synergizes your mind with your body. When you can already relax, both in breathing and in balance, while doing or performing an extremely difficult bend or posture, this is the time that your yoga journey will attain fruition. You should keep practicing while at this level and beyond. Discovery of heightened inner peace level is inevitable. Do not forget to inculcate proper meditation and breathing at the start.

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