Yoga & Meditation: Central Aspects of the Mind-Body Connection

So, you want to further explore the mind-body connection? Yoga and meditation play a substantial role in everyday practical life as well as in creating a holistic experience which brings together body, mind, heart, and spirit. A committed yoga practice, with an ongoing meditation discipline, furthers the capacity to deeply relax by being totally contained in as soon as.

The word yoga originates from the Sanskrit root yuj, intending to join or yoke, implying the integration of each and every aspect of a person, in the innermost parts towards the external. This union of the many seemingly opposing layers of our being – body and mind, inner and outer, external and internal, activity and receptivity – nurtures the formation of the non-dual and inclusive state of mind that allows us to experience the cruel dualities of life without actually succumbing to duality.

Yoga: Preparing the Body for Oneness

Yoga has been practiced for more than 2 millennia. The Indian literature is a storehouse of knowledge about yoga, covering every possible level. For example, the Vedas , the Upanishads , testify towards the continued relevance of yoga like a discipline, along with the Yoga Sutra, which is the living source wisdom of the yoga tradition. Yoga is considered a philosophy, a science, and an art. Yoga has been understood to be the union of the individual spirit with this from the universal.

Most of us are familiar with yoga and also the many different types of yoga postures that help develop our capability to “stretch,” ie, increase our flexibility and our flexibility. I recall within the mid 1980s, when I were built with a family practice in North Carolina and was unwilling to suggest yoga with a of my patients because some folks believed yoga was a cult. The word “stretching exercises” was more readily accepted, and oftentimes it's wiser simply to meet patients where they're at. Times have changed and yoga has become a widely-accepted practice. Yoga studios are ubiquitous.

Yoga poses are postures or positions that can help master your body and enhance the body's functions. They create strength and endurance, improve circulation and flow, and enhance joint and muscle function. These yoga exercises evolved thousands of years ago in the need to create a healthy body in order to move more readily to some state of oneness and self-realization. Western culture has tried to have yoga viewed simply as exercises and merely another type of superficial workout routines, rather than having any holistic or deeper link with life. It is quite interesting to observe and wonder how the west is constantly on the play the role of trying to keep individuals from looking within themselves and connecting and empowering their personal self.

Much like mind-body medicine, yoga broadens our capability for connection and inclusion by moving us from both our mental and physical comfort zones. It broadens our capacity to acknowledge and dwell inside our minds and bodies to experience deeper levels of compassion and private intimacy. It teaches us to become more fully engaged in feeling the body and mental states via the asanas explored inside a yoga practice. It's about being here now. Yoga leads us in to the present moment without undo distractions, creating a greater understanding of the deeper physical and mental reality that's always present yet is usually missed because of the large number of distractions bombarding us moment to moment.

Meditation: Quieting & Centering

The mind, or mental component of yoga, brings breathing exercises to quiet your brain and brain. There's a definite connection between the concept of yoga which of meditation. Many yoga practitioners view yoga like a strong complement for their daily meditation practice. There's a fundamental relaxation response both in yoga and meditation that allows the practitioner to develop the ability to deeply relax and quiet the “monkey mind” that may stop us stuck in the ongoing inner struggle and chatter of life going on around us.

The foundation of every effective mind-body self-care program is meditation. Yoga science views your body because the covering outside the mind, and also the mind as the covering outside the center of consciousness . To experience health and well-being, we must properly take care of and feed your body, regulate our breath, coordinate the functions of our mind, and base all of our actions on the inner intuitive wisdom in our spirit, as reflected through the conscience. Yes, that's quite a challenge, especially residing in the superficiality in our Western culture; heaven forbid we glance within ourselves for answers.

Meditation increases theta waves . This experience results in a sense of calm awareness that enables the meditator to beat the sympathetic nervous system's fight-or-flight response. This slows down the mind's rapid number of feelings and thoughts, and replaces that mental activity with a calm inner awareness and a focus. As a result of this quiet, effortless , single-pointed focus of attention, the body and mind both become rejuvenated. By preserve a daily meditation practice, the signs of stress, fear, depression, fatigue, high blood pressure, and addictions can be diminished and the entire body may become liberated to function to the healthy potential.

Practicing Mind-Body Medicine

Mind-body prescription medication is an approach to healing that utilizes the strength of thoughts and emotions to positively influence health. As Hippocrates wrote, “The healing force within each one of us is the foremost force to get a comprehensive and time-honored program for well-being.” Quantum physics has taken the acceptance to the fact that all things are indeed connected.

Meditation and the entire science of Yoga represents a holistic mind-body medicine that can provide the skills and also the motivation to alter old, debilitating habits into new, healthy habits that induce not just better health but a larger feeling of well-being. Regardless of how old you are, if you practice meditation and the principles of yoga as mind-body medicine, you can improve your life. Albert Einstein once remarked, “the definition of insanity is doing exactly the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” If you find yourself stuck in such a rut and wonder how you can break this vicious circle, you're a prime candidate for instituting these changes in your lifetime.

Simply by integrating and embracing a daily discipline of yoga and/or meditation, we are able to create a more optimal state of balance and health. Some of the common benefits that are derived from these practices would be the reduction of stress, an improved sense of mindfulness, greater focus and clarity of thought, more happiness in our lives, the development of deeper and much more heartfelt relationships, and also the ability produce a stronger vital force with added energy and awareness.

Closing Comments

The US Cdc & Prevention in Atlanta, GA, report that the key factors influencing a person's health have not changed significantly in the last 20 years. Their reports show that everyday lifestyle choices contribute 53%. Quality of medical care makes up about only 10%. Heredity makes up about 18%, and environment 19%. The decisions people routinely make regarding their lives are by far the best factor in determining their wellness. The meaning of these statistics is strikingly clear. If people might be brought to some essential, basic information and be motivated to make more skillful choices, they'd experience better health.

We will have the opportunity to reside in a much more optimal state of balance and healthfulness, when we simply learn to make living in that state a greater priority than is presently done. As Gandhi so aptly said, “We need to be the modification you want to see.” The facts are most convincing that people can make better health, be happier, and also have much less stress within our lives when we would integrate and embrace these practices into our everyday living. The option is ours.