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The Science of Yoga: Past the mat

The practice of yoga, which was a decade ago, an ancient cultural practice

of India; is now the best form of relaxation for millions across the globe.

 It has certainly established itself as a go-to option for many and people

regard it as a pure form of retreat from their hectic and busy lives. Yoga

is now a household-thing. It doesn’t matter where you are, where you

belong to or how you look; it can be practised by anyone. 

Yoga, in itself, is of various forms. The Hatha form of yoga comprises of

various sorts of physical postures. It focuses largely on three sects of

yoga namely pranayama which the exercise of breath-control, asanas that

involve the practising of yoga postures and lastly, the sect of savasana

which is the period of resting. Yoga is one of those practices that

channelize your energy in a way which is, both fulfilling and productive. It

allows you to defy any physical barrier you have in mind for yourself yet,

it doesn’t make you feel overwhelmed because of that. As mentioned

above about the breathing practices, the goal is to focus on your

breathing while your mind escapes grogginess and is in a peaceful state

of mind.

The practise of yoga has been associated with various positive changes in

the human body. The first one is more of a psychological phenomenon

which is called as body-image. Yoga is credited with enhancing a person’s

view regarding themselves. A person who practices yoga consistently is

someone who is self-aware. You tend to do your best while you perform

yoga and it draws your attention to your own physical capabilities

displayed at the moment. This has been proven by surveys done around

the globe. People in constant touch with yoga get to know their bodies

way better than anyone. They become aware of their abilities and

limitations; making peace with them. This results in them being more

satisfied with their bodies rather than criticizing anything and everything

they deem as not proper. Yoga is therefore utilised as a tool for curing

various eating disorders, which in turn results into promoting body

positivity and enhanced self-esteem.

The second positive change that takes place with constant practice of

yoga is that the person becomes mindful. Now, the concept of

mindfulness is a relatively new psychological aspect and would require a

bit of explanation. The concept of mindfulness stems from the idea of

being aware of your present surrounding and embracing the thoughts,

ideas, feelings and emotions that act as the resultant of that scenario. It

is the mental state of mind where one only focuses on the present

moment and let their ideas and thoughts about it flow. This practice can

be a plus point in positively influencing many aspects of your life. But

since we mentioned about yoga being a therapeutic approach to eating

disorders; we’ll see how it works in that area. When mindfulness is talked

about in terms of food; it is regarded as mindful eating.  Researchers

have conducted various inquires along with parameters like disinhibition

towards food (regarded as a state of lack of self-control displayed in

neglecting the social conventions, impulsivity and poor risk assessment.

In the case of eating, it could be eating even when the person is full ), the

impact of how the food looks, smells or tastes, environmental cues acting

at that point in time resulting to eating or emotional eating. It came as a

pleasant surprise that people who were consistent with yoga performed

well and were more mindful than those who didn’t. But it isn’t much of a

surprise when yoga makes you more aware of your body needs and type.

This heightened awareness is brought to the kitchen table too and hence;

people end up savouring every bit of their food. This results in them being

full and not to eat further.

Yet another benefit of practising yoga comes from the idea of weight-loss

and its maintenance. As mentioned earlier, people practising yoga who

become mindful eaters with consistent practice; tend to be attuned to

their body. In light of this statement; various researches have shown that

people who practise yoga tend to gain less weight throughout their lives.

Overall, it was seen that people practising yoga tend to have a lower BMI

(Body Mass Index) than non-practitioners. This was positively correlated

with the concept of mindfulness.

Lastly, Yoga is also associated with enhancing fitness and being a saviour

when it comes to cardiovascular risk factors. With consistent use of Yoga,

one can feel that they have attained more endurance, flexibility and

strength pertaining to their muscles. Similarly, Yoga is helpful in almost

eliminating risk factors like lowering blood pressure, lowering blood sugar

levels, lowering stress etc that play a role in cardiovascular ailments. With

all these benefits; it’s hard not to see why Yoga is so popular and

significant today. With the serenity it brings in one’s life; it’s hard not to

go for it. We have programs that are all about Yoga and how to go about

it. We hope that you reach out to us for the same.