“Yoga does not just change the way we see things, it transforms the person who sees.”

-B.K.S. Iyengar

Do you know yoga? In this article we want to help you discover its benefits and how its practice can help improve the quality of your life.

What is yoga?

Yoga means union: of mind, body, and spirit. This bond determines a continuous interaction between the parts and their mutual influence. Therefore: If the reason is satisfactory, the body is fine, and vice versa.

Yoga is a spiritual discipline that entails our interiority, essence, and being. Yoga practice includes physical exercises (asana), breathing exercises (pranayama), and meditation.

Asana

Asana means "comfortable and comfortable position maintained for long deep breaths.” Asanas are, therefore, the postures that make up yoga or the physical forms that ask to be maintained for a variable time during practice.

Pranayama

'Prana' means breath, respiration, life, vitality, energy, or strength. 'Ayama' means extension, expansion, length, breadth, regulation, attachment, restriction, or control. Therefore, the word 'Pranayama' represents the prolongation of the breath and its power.

Pranayama is an art consisting of techniques that favor the movement of the respiratory organs and their intentional expansion rhythmically and intensively. This practice improves the capacity of the lungs and allows optimal ventilation, which also leads to a consequent improvement in blood circulation in the body.

Meditation

Meditation is a state like wakefulness and sleep, and therefore no one can teach us to meditate. However, we can create the optimal conditions to bring our minds into a meditative state. In meditation, the mind is turned within us. If in the waking state, our senses are turned outwards, and our reason is active, in the form of meditation, we are focused inside, allowing us to find a moment to look inside without filters. It is a moment of static calm, present in which everything stops, and we are dealing with our most accurate, most authentic self. This moment can be joyful or more tiring, and it helps us purify and change.

What are some benefits of yoga?

The benefits of yoga are many, and precisely by the vital link between Mind and Body, they embrace multiple areas of the individual's well-being.

It makes the bones stronger without resorting to medicines. Indeed, some researchers have studied and confirmed that regular practice increases bone mass, especially in the vertebrae and femur. The risk of osteoporosis and injuries is therefore reduced in the face of better posture.
Improves strength and tone of muscles. Positions and sequences strengthen every power, even the deepest and least known ones.
Increases the flexibility of body and mind. Flexibility is undoubtedly one of the best-known and most proven benefits of yoga. Not only physically but also mentally. More flexible towards others, but above all towards oneself.
Increases physical and mental balance. With good practice, body stability improves considerably, and the body becomes more balanced and centered in everyday life, improving coordination, fluidity of movement, and posture. Therefore, it is clear how Yoga can be an excellent aid in improving balance in other sports. Physical stability is connected and opposed to mental strength. When all internal and external systems are balanced, the state of health and harmony that is achieved is indescribable.
Improves digestion. Thanks to its system of techniques, both physical and mental, it also helps to rebalance the digestive system. This is made possible by positions that involve twists, inversions, and the use of the abdominal and back muscles.
Detoxifies your body. Asanas (positions) are always performed in coordination with breathing. Thanks to this association, the internal organs are "massaged" and enriched with oxygen which, in turn, allows the body to eliminate toxins. Stress, evil thoughts, and worries are examples of this.
It helps you to beat back pain. One of the most significant benefits of Yoga is that it relieves or defeats back pain thanks to constant practice over time.
It's good for your heart. With Yoga, we learn to breathe correctly, and the breath is the key to our health. Have you ever thought about it? Are you sure you can live effectively? The re-education of the breath through Yoga can improve oxygen circulation in the blood, bringing significant benefits to the cardiovascular system.
Strengthens the immune system. Yoga stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which, in turn, has a calming action. This relaxing effect acts directly on the immune system by strengthening it considerably. As a result, the body fights viruses and bacteria faster, thus clearing itself of various toxins.

Asili Wellness specializes in holistic wellness and provides a space that fosters relaxation, restoration, and transformation. We offer accessible yoga that is personalized and a catalyst for improving and maintaining your whole health. Available Yoga Sessions are Chair Yoga; Yoga for Beginners; Yoga for Body Toning; Yoga for Core & Back Strength; Yoga for Joint Mobility & Flexibility; Yoga for Relaxation & Restoration; Yoga for Sleep; Yoga for Stress & Anxiety; and Yoga for Holistic Health.