What Is The Best Type Of Yoga To Do At Home
Yoga is a holistic exercise that targets the body and mind that has been practiced for centuries. This discipline found its origins millennia ago in ancient India. The word ‘yoga’ is Sanskrit for ‘union’, referring to the union of the mind, body, and spirit. Yoga not only helps to tone the body, but also allows you to harness the potential of the mind.
Yoga consists of gentle stretching postures known an ‘asanas’, breathing techniques known as ‘Pranayama’, and meditation. Thus, it is a powerful combination of physical and mental techniques. Yoga therefore enables you to reach a state of harmony and healing, and has been proven to have therapeutic uses.
Yogic ‘asanas’ help to increase stamina and improve the posture. On the other hand, ‘Pranayama’ improves your respiratory functions and teaches you how to breathe correctly and deeply. Both ‘asanas’ and ‘Pranayama’ do not require any fancy props or equipment and can be safely practiced at home. The most important thing is to ensure that you are doing the breathing and physical exercises correctly; otherwise it will not help your body and mind. For this purpose, it is a good idea to attend a few yoga classes before beginning practice at home.
It is essential to have the sequence of yoga exercises right. You could begin with a basic exercise such as ‘Sukhasana’, where you sit cross-legged and practice deep breathing. This helps increase your self-awareness by making you concentrate on your posture and breathing. ‘Uttanasana’, or forward extension, involves bending down to touch feet without folding your knees. This aids the digestion process and improves your metabolic rate. You could then try ‘Virabhadrasana’, or the warrior position, where you bend your legs such that one leg is parallel to the ground and your arms are stretched out. This posture not only improves your strength and energy levels, but also assists in weight loss. As your dexterity improves, you could try more difficult ‘asanas’ that address your problem areas specifically.
For breathing exercises, Kapalabhati Pranayama is an extremely effective form of breathing exercise, where you breathe in rapid succession. This increases the oxygen flow to your heart and normalizes blood pressure. Meditation can be practiced regularly and has reported benefits of reducing hypertension and stress. Moreover, chanting while meditating stimulates your energy flow to bring you to a healthier state of consciousness. When practicing yoga at home, do keep in mind that you should stop if you feel the slightest twinge of pain or discomfort. Yoga is not meant to hurt.
