Yoga for mental health

                Yoga for mental health

The word yoga originates from the Sanskrit word "yus" which means "to join" Yoga is concerned not only with the body, but also with our mind, heart and soul. It is being practiced in India since the 5th century, Yoga has been beneficial in keeping the body and mind in sound health. A holistic approach, Yoga targets all the different systems of the body and mind. First time International Yoga Day was celebrated on 21 June 2015. International Yoga Day is also known as World Yoga Day. This initiative was given by India on 27 September 2014 in the United Nations General Assembly giving an impressive speech related to yoga and for this reason on 21 June it was called "International Yoga Day". This was declared considering that this day is the longest day of the year and yoga also gives a long life to a human being. 

As we know that due to corona virus the theme of Yoga Day was ‘Yoga at home and yoga with family on 21 June 2020. 

Mahagun Maestro also organized a yoga session with appropriate social distancing. It included not just asanas, but was specially focused on Pranayama (controlled breathing) and Yoga Nidra (relaxation) for a complete relaxation of the mind and body. We also did a Facebook live session, and many members in our society also participated from their balconies. The session was arranged by Jyoti Malik and conducted by renowned Yoga Trainer Supriya Chhabra Maheshwari. All the participants felt a sense of deep relaxation, and increased energy levels after the session. The writer also participated in this session and felt relaxed after long lock down period .It was much needed as we are facing several issues.   

We have also lost many people due to some health problems, depressions and financial issues. In all such cases yoga really helps to reduce stress levels so we should make it daily habit. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar also tweeted that "If you find anyone depressed, make sure you reach out and request them into practicing Yoga, Kriya & Meditation. I have seen lakhs of people coming out of this tendency ". Yoga plays a significant role during the world crisis of Covid-19 as yoga boosts our immunity and is known to cure respiratory disorders. Pranayama or breathing exercises increase our oxygen intake by up to five times.

Life is unpredictable and we don’t know what is going to happen in our lives so we should remain strong physically and mentally. Yoga’s positive benefits on mental health have made it an important practice tool of psychotherapy (American Psychological Association). It has been shown to enhance social well-being through a sense of belonging to others, and improve the symptoms of depression, attention deficit and hyperactivity, and sleep disorders. 

I would like to urge to accept Yoga as your daily routine. It is also mentioned in Shri Bhagwad Gita "Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self."