Yoga was originated in ancient India. Yoga involves exercises which are called asanas for the overall development of the mental, physical, emotional and spiritual health.
Hatha Yoga is a branch of yoga that uses physical exercises or techniques to strengthen your body while adding flexibility and relaxing the mind. Hatha Yoga’s final destination is to reach to the point of Samadhi – which is a higher state of consciousness. The body has to go through a purification process to remove impurities for the nadis to function, mind to be cleansed and release of energy blockages. Hatha Yoga aims at creating an absolute balance of processes of the physical body, mind and energy.
With Yoga asanas it is important that one practices it on a daily basis to gain maximum benefits. As a beginner, nobody expects you to be a master of the asanas. The objective is not to be perfect in the asana as it comes with practice and time. But the aim is to develop the mindset and discipline to continue with the practice with dedication and commitment.
Yoga asanas are design ed to be done in a relaxed, steady and controlled state. One can start with warm-ups, stretches of joints but in a systematic manner. For beginners, Surya Namaskar is the best form of Yoga as while doing this practice, all muscles in the body are active and engaged.
The Yoga Institute is widely known as householder yoga as the yoga asanas can be done by anyone. Shri Yogendraji altered the asanas in order to make it doable for everyone. Yoga asanas come with numerous benefits as it makes a person flexible, strong, increases stamina and treats various physical illnesses.
Yoga is not just about asanas and poses but it also involves pranayama, kriyas and meditation. It helps in strengthening the body and mind while achieving spiritual enlightenment, happiness, peace and balance in life. Yoga is practiced to resolve various physiological, psychological issues. From muscular pain to major diseases, weight issues or mental health illnesses, Yoga has the cure for all the treatments.
WHY YOGA IS BETTER?
Must Know: Top 10 Asanas for Beginners.
BENEFITS:
1) Holistic Approach
Since gyming usually involves heavy weight lifting and vigorous exercising, people burn a lot of calories which helps in losing weight. When done regularly, gym can help you in maintaining the weight while ensuring that you strengthen the muscles and gain immense physical strength.
2) Increased Flexibility, Strength and Stamina
Through Yoga asanas, your body starts becoming lighter. All the stiff muscles start becoming loose through stretches, movements and balancing, breathing techniques. Your body becomes flexible with greater strength and stamina.
3) Improved Focus
When we focus on our breath during practice of yoga asanas, it teache s us to cut off from the outside world and focus on the now i.e. in the present. It touches us to be mindful and aware of the task in hand. With so many distractions and mind chatter, it becomes difficult to focus or concentrate. Yoga and pranayama is the best way to bring the attention back to the present and on the solution rather than the problem.
4) Treats Physical Diseases
Yoga asanas is not jus t limited to improving flexibility, stamina and mental strength. It also helps in treating diseases like respiratory, circulatory digestive and many more. This is done without causing any physical or mental strain. Yoga has a very steady yet disciplined approach which cures physical ailments through stretching, twisting exercises.
5) Teaches Healing and Acceptance
No other physical exercises teach you acceptance the way Yoga does. Yoga asanas teaches yo u to accept yourself for who you are and then try to improve yourself. Healing cannot be done without acceptance for what it is. A lot of the stressors in life are because of lack of acceptance and psychological/emotional conflicts. Through Yoga, the mind is trained to heal from within, cure the pain and learn to accept for peace and happiness in life.
GYM
Gym involves strenuous physical activities that help one in building muscles, gaining strength and reducing fat loss. Gyming includes exercises like pushups, pull ups, heavy weights that help in losing weight faster. At the gym, you strain the muscles and owing to cardiovascular exertion, it leads to sweating and burning of calories.
Gym is majorly focused on building the physique through excessive weight training and rigorous exercising. With gym, one gets results faster. In gym, one can also practice running and lifting free weights, dumbbells and so on. Gym impacts only specific parts of the body and doesn’t affect the internal organs.
HOW GYM IS DIFFERENT FROM YOGA?
• Gym or physical exercises involves rigorous workout
• Gym and Physical exercises are solely focused on making the body strong, healthy and fit
• It stimulates Sympathetic nervous system that continues to produce heat in the body and leads to tiredness
• It emphasizes violent movements of the muscles. This produces large quantities of lactic acid in the muscle fibres, causing fatigue
• Gym increases muscle tension
• Physical exercises causes fatigue (breathing is taxed)
• It leads to moderate to high calorie consumption
• It is competitive and goal oriented
• Through exercising, an external awareness is created
• During exercising, there is unequal distribution of blood in the body
• In physical exercises, violent movements exceed the muscle and circulation limits that causes fatigue
• Gym is designed to develop a physically strong body
• The chances of getting injured is very high
• Muscles become firm and hard to the touch
• The loss of energy is high in physical exercises
• Gym requires instruments and a studio for practicing
• Gym is not advisable for old people and especially those who have heart problems or hypertension
• Going to the gym can be costly
Read More: Yoga Asanas For Healthy Body and Mind.
BENEFITS
1) Maintains Healthy Weight
Since gyming usually involves heavy weight lifting and vigorous exercising, people burn a lot of calories which helps in losing weight. When done regularly, gym can help you in maintaining the weight while ensuring that you strengthen the muscles and gain immense physical strength.
2) Improves mood and boosts energy
When one exercises, the body releases feel-good hormones like serotonin, endorphins which put one in a happy and energetic mood. Exercising has a huge impact on the body as it makes one feel confident and happy as one begins to lose weight and look good.
3) High Metabolism
When one starts physical exercise, the hormones become balanced and the metabolism increases. Owing to increased metabolism, one starts to lose the excess weight and feel good about their body.
4) Bulky Muscles
People usually join gym to gain muscles and a certain buffed-up body. This is possible only through lifting weights and doing cardiovascular exercises. The constant weight lifting and physical exercise helps one to develop those bulky muscles.
When it comes to choosing a fitness routine, it is important to understand that you need to choose a form of exercise that will suit your lifestyle. Always remember that one needs to choose and follow this regime for the rest of their lives.
Yoga and Gym both come with their own sets of advantages and benefits. While choosing out of the two, one needs to keep in mind their lifestyle and work schedule. Also, asking one if this particular regime will work for my body and give me an overall benefit.
Gym works fast and gives you muscles but it comes with its disadvantages and provides maximum physical benefits. Also, after losing weight through gym, maintaining the weight is another huge task. People who opt for gym need to be consistent and disciplined.
Yoga comes with a holistic approach to treating the physical and mental ailments which has very limited risks involved and probability to get injured. Yoga has been followed since the ancient times and it has worked miraculously for various illnesses and diseases related to the mind and body. Practicing yoga asanas will optimize your physical and mental well-being while bringing balance, happiness, peace and stability in life.
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