Yoga: The Science and Spirituality Behind the Practice
The Science and Spirituality Behind the Practice
Why do most people who try yoga almost always end up getting hooked by it? Is it because of the unleashed flexibility they never thought they had? Improved health? The enhanced self-management they get from doing it? If you’re asking the same questions and looking to find answers, this article might just be for you.
Motivation Behind Yoga
When asked why people do yoga, 90 percent said they do so to improve their health and stress management. But what may be the reason we start doing something may not be the reason we keep on doing it. That’s significantly true for most people who stay on this kind of physical activity. How so?
A study found that students and teachers alike say they experience a change of heart in doing yoga. Most share a unified response that the very activity paved away from something physical to something spiritual and more personal. It’s the kind of activity that heightens self-awareness and reflection. And it’s the type of activity that sparks self-actualization, the kind that imparts a sense of fulfilling one’s potential.
Intangible, Abstract Yoga
Yes, all of these seem intangible, abstract, and even all in mind. Most skeptics don’t just want to rely on accounts from experiences. As humans, we believe in something when its conclusions are sourced and backed by credible and hard-earned scientific studies. So, does the practice have to something do with the mind spiritually and with the health scientifically?
YOGA: A Spiritual Stretch
Yes, this practice is undoubtedly a physical activity. Yoga helps develop your strength, stamina, posture, and even that set of abs that have been in hiding your entire life. However, unlike any other physical activity, yoga goes beyond your body and well into your mind. It’s considered a mental practice that works your emotional stress and psychological challenges through its key feature– meditation.
Scratching The Surface of Yoga
Most people join a yoga class with a body goal to achieve or a headstand skill to perfect by the end of a program. These are people considered to be scratching the surface of the practice. If you’re in it for the physical returns, yes, you will feel better after a regular session. But when you discover the spirituality of the practice, it ceases to simply be a stretch class or a conducive space for relaxation. When you uncover the practice for what it is, you go deeper and discover the great truth that spirituality is something personal yet universal.
Awareness
Yoga, in its purest form, involves yogis seeking the experience and awareness of the energy or spirit within and around. Don’t get me wrong. By spirits, it doesn’t necessarily mean something ghostly or supernatural. In this kind of practice, your spirit is your driving force, your higher consciousness. It is your motivation. It is the reason behind your words and deeds. Spirituality enters when you become aware of this energy. Awareness, therefore, is a crucial spiritual practice to yoga.
Unlike other physical activities, in yoga, the mat is your mirror. By mirror, we mean that when you face your mat, you bring yourself and the entirety of you. With this level of self-awareness, you don’t only come to learn more about yourself, how you act, and react. This kind of awareness allows you to look into yourself and transform your mind. It allows you to translate it to your actions, how you interact with others, and how you choose to live your life.
Control
Most people may think awareness is something that comes naturally for humans. Yes, that may be true that awareness is inherent to humans. But yoga makes you realize that just because it is natural in all of us, does not mean that all of us have learned to awaken and trigger it. As such, you then realize that awareness doesn’t always mean that you get to be led to the destination you want to go.
Yoga as a spiritual practice is not something you do to make you a better person or to eliminate the negativity around you. Instead, it is the kind of practice that makes you realize there is no perfect formula to a quiet mind. There will always be noise, bad habits, uncontrolled temper, or anything you wish to eliminate within you. But it is the kind of practice that allows you to embrace that noise, that mess, but knowing that it can’t be all that controls you. Yoga does not promise to take away your bad temper and all the noise in your head. But with it comes the confidence that even those can become things you can control and improve on. Developing this spiritual side of yoga is all about holding your posture and remaining steady despite circumstances around you. And this can be done through self-awareness and introspection.
Mind
For beginners, yoga is all about analyzing your yoga instructor’s actions hoping you don’t stumble and fall while trying to correctly follow every process. Simply put, yoga necessarily starts off as a physical performance instead of naturally being and flowing.
But sooner or later, you get to realize physical stability is not all there is to yoga. It is only the first step to a more in-depth process of developing awareness and connecting deeper within yourself.
You will come to realize that yoga is more than just a space to get away from a bad workday. It is a space to quiet the mind and just be. It is a space where you are pushed to the point of exhaustion fo you to learn about the idea of surrender and quiet.
It is a space that allows you to just be. When you are in that state, it is important to be aware of the flush of emotions that will follow. If you experience positivity, peace, or happiness, be aware of it and be grateful. Developing this attitude from your mat and taking it away with you is what makes yoga a spiritual practice.
Body, Mind, and Spirit
One of the most common misconceptions about this practice is that it has something to with a particular religion. Yoga is a practice that allows you to come as you are. Whether you are someone who has faith or someone who has none, you are welcome to the practice of yoga.
When you trace the word yoga to its roots, you will know that it comes from a Sanskrit root ‘Yuj.’ It means ‘to join’ or ‘to unite.’ From the very word, yoga aims to unite Individual and Universal consciousness. It aims to strike a perfect balance and harmony between the body, mind, and spirit and between man and nature.
When you strike the perfect balance, yoga becomes a way for you to cultivate and foster wholeness and recognizing the same wholeness everywhere. When you achieve this, this is the moment you can consider yourself to have reached the spiritual side of yoga.
YOGA: The Scientific Stretch
Now that we know the relationship between the mind and the spiritual side of yoga as a practice, it is equally important to verify whether the health benefits of this practice are actually supported by Science. Here’s a list of some of yoga’s evidence-based benefits:
Relieves Stress
Yoga is popularly known as the type of physical activity that eases stress and promotes relaxation. This is not only sourced from experiential accounts but is actually backed by scientific research and studies.
Studies show that yoga decreases the secretion of cortisol, which is considered to be a primary stress hormone. One study found that yoga extended the antidepressant effects in alcohol-dependent subjects. This result can be attributed to a significant reduction of stress-hormone levels that led to producing beneficial effects. It is also found that reducing stress using yoga as a method helps improve the overall quality of mental and physical health.
Relieves Anxiety
Over the last years, yoga also gained its reputation as an effective alternative method to cope with feelings of anxiety and depression. True enough, multiple research has been conducted that shows yoga can help relieve and reduce anxiety.
In a study, a group of women diagnosed with an anxiety disorder was made to participate in yoga classes for over two months. Results show that people who participated in yoga turned out to have substantially lower levels of anxiety than the controlled group maintained by the study.
Multiple research is yet to be done as to how yoga is correctly able to reduce symptoms and levels of anxiety. But emphasizing just being and finding peace are both great ways to relieve anxiety on individuals.
Reduces Inflammation
Aside from yoga being known to improve your mental health condition, several studies also show that it may also reduce inflammation. Chronic inflammation, as distinguished from the normal immune response, is known to contribute to the development of certain pro-inflammatory diseases (e.g., cancer, diabetes, heart diseases).
In one study conducted in 2015, two groups classified as people who practice yoga from those who do not were subjected to both moderate and severe exercises. Results showed that those who practice yoga turned out to have a lower level of inflammatory markers as compared to those who didn’t.
Improves Heart Health
Your heart is a vital part of your body as it has the crucial duty of pumping blood all throughout your body and supplying tissues with needed nutrients. Multiple studies also show yoga’s positive effect in improving your heart’s health and reducing several risks for heart disease.
One study showed that forty-year-old subjects who regularly engaged in yoga for five years had lower blood pressure and pulse rate compared to those who didn’t. For older people, high blood pressure is one of the significant causes of heart attacks and strokes. Hence, lowering blood pressure can significantly help you avoid these problems.
Research also shows that a healthy lifestyle incorporated with yoga can help gradually slow the progression of heart diseases. Research has been conducted about the relationship between yoga and certain heart diseases. However, it is still unclear how significant it plays vis-a-vis other essential factors like diet and lifestyle. But yoga can help decrease stress, which is known to be one of the main contributing factors to heart disease.
Improves Overall Quality of Life
Yoga has gained popularity over the years. It has become one of the most utilized alternative therapies when it comes to improving the quality of life. According to a study, more than a hundred senior citizens were advised to regularly practice either yoga, walking, or a control group. At the end of the study, it was found that a significant improvement in the quality of life was seen from those old people who practiced yoga when compared to the other two groups.
Another study also found that yoga resulted in an improvement in the quality of life experienced by breast cancer patients. At the end of the study, the women were found to experience less pain and fatigue with a definite improvement in levels of acceptance, invigoration, and relaxation.
Promotes Sleep Quality
Poor sleep quality is known to be linked with depression, high blood pressure, and obesity, among other disorders. Some studies show that integrating regular yoga practice in your daily routine helps to promote better sleep among individuals. In a study conducted in 2005, patients were either assigned to take yoga, take herbal products, or take part in a control group.
At the end of the study, results showed that people who were assigned to practice yoga fell asleep faster and longer. They also felt well-rested in the morning than the other two groups. There is no clear explanation for this yet. But studies show that yoga helps increase melatonin secretion. It is the type of hormone that helps regulate sleep and wakefulness.
Whether you are looking for a physical activity that improves physical wellness, mental well-being as well as the overall quality of life, yoga is the perfect practice for you.
Get your mats ready for the ultimate spiritual yoga experience overall.
Quality of Life
Yoga has gained popularity over the years. It has become one of the most utilized alternative therapies when it comes to improving the quality of life. According to a study, more than a hundred senior citizens were advised to regularly practice either yoga, walking, or a control group. At the end of the study, it was found that a significant improvement in the quality of life was seen from those old people who practiced yoga when compared to the other two groups.
Another study also found that yoga resulted in an improvement in the quality of life experienced by breast cancer patients. At the end of the study, the women were found to experience less pain and fatigue with a definite improvement in levels of acceptance, invigoration, and relaxation.
Promotes Sleep Quality
Poor sleep quality is known to be linked with depression, high blood pressure, and obesity, among other disorders. Some studies show that integrating regular yoga practice in your daily routine helps to promote better sleep among individuals. In a study conducted in 2005, patients were either assigned to take yoga, take herbal products, or take part in a control group.
At the end of the study, results showed that people who were assigned to practice yoga fell asleep faster and longer. They also felt well-rested in the morning than the other two groups. There is no clear explanation for this yet. But studies show that yoga helps increase melatonin secretion. It is the type of hormone that helps regulate sleep and wakefulness.
Whether you are looking for a physical activity that improves physical wellness, mental well-being as well as the overall quality of life, yoga is the perfect practice for you.
Get your mats ready for the ultimate spiritual yoga experience.