There is a trend, especially among western practitioners of Yoga to focus almost exclusively on its physical aspects, best represented by the various poses or asanas one adopts during a session, and leave its mental and spiritual facets behind. Some do this because they don’t wish to burden themselves with a new spiritual teaching, others do it to avoid possible conflicts between yogic teachings and their own religion.
While being able to perform many poses flawlessly certainly makes for a more physically healthier and attractive body, limiting yourself to this one aspect out of the wide range of experiences and benefits Yoga has to offer will cause you to miss out on some of its most potent healing capabilities.
If we dig a little deeper and examine the sutras or manual-like texts which deal with long-established yogic principles, a number of interesting observations come to mind. First, the focus is on Yoga’s holistic nature in dealing with human health. Compared to the various ways with which it seeks to treat a disbalance in one’s whole, there’s little in there that covers pure physical exercise. Second, Yoga takes into account the uniqueness of each individual. As our personalities have certain idiosyncrasies that make each of us what we are, so does our whole, and Yoga needs to adapt itself to each in order to be effective.
According to Yoga, the physical body is only the basest out of five dimensions, emotions being the highest. As you’ve probably caught on by now, all of these are intertwined and can’t be treated separately. This also means that we can positively affect one dimension and others will become healthier too. Concentrating on proper breathing can alleviate physical symptoms, and dealing with emotional problems gives the intellect renewed focus.
All of these dimensions are governed by our mind. Its state is a determining factor for the entire human system. If we take steps to change our mindset for the better, the rest of the system will improve too. Even if the physical body sustains a considerable injury, focusing on techniques that employ the other dimensions like breathing and visualization, healing and recovery can still take place. Sadly, some ailments can’t be cured by such practices, but Yoga can still have a healing effect on sufferers by maintaining their quality of life in other areas, thereby helping them maintain a positive attitude.
Naturally, one’s mind can’t be influenced dramatically overnight; embracing the entirety of a Yoga-conscious lifestyle doesn’t come easy, but the rewards we can reap from taking advantage of it are definitely worth the investment.
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