Importance of Yoga

Yoga is not a religion; it is a way of living that ensures 'a healthy mind in a healthy body'. A human being is at once a physical, mental and spiritual being, and Yoga is valuable precisely because it promotes the balanced development of all three together. Other forms of physical exercise, such as aerobics, build only physical wellbeing — they do little for the development of the mind or the inner (spiritual) self. This is what sets Yoga apart: it treats the person as a whole.

How regular Yoga helps

Yogic practice is often described as recharging the body with cosmic energy. Practised regularly, it facilitates a wide range of benefits across body and mind:

• Attainment of perfect equilibrium and harmony in the body and mind.
• Promotion of self-healing, so the body's own capacity to recover is strengthened.
• Removal of negative blocks from the mind and of toxins from the body.
• Enhancement of personal power — the sense of inner strength and capability.
• Increased self-awareness, a clearer understanding of oneself.
• Better attention, focus and concentration, which is especially valuable for children and students.
• Reduced stress and tension, because Yoga activates the parasympathetic nervous system — the body's "rest and recover" system — and calms the stress response.
• Greater control over the body and the mind, which Yoga grants to every sincere practitioner.

Why this matters …