Yoga Sushama_Nov 2011

 

What is the difference between exercise and yoga practise ?

First of all that depends on you, what you mean by the word "exercise" and why a person take exercise at all. Because they want to be fit, live longer and finally improve their imagine and make them look better. We cannot say all these are false claim. But exercise mainly builds the body and neglects the mind side. There is a common misconception that yogic exercises are physical exercise. But the basic difference is - physical exercises are repetitive movements, whereas yogic exercises involve a very little movement and are only postures which are to be maintained for a period of time. That's why this is called yoga asana means yoga postures, which should be static and comfortable. Yoga postures tone up body and mind, whereas physical exercise affects mainly the body. In yoga postures we use less energy and can store that energy to use for something better and greater, but in exercise we use the whole energy in the gym, get exhausted and fatigue. As because the yoga postures are static, we can engage out mind to focus or concentrate on the particular part of the body with the help of the easy breathing which results to minimize stress and tension and tones up both body and mind , gives a feeling of relaxation and exhilaration. Yoga postures are not meant to increase the muscle mass, on the other hand they are meant to improve the functioning of the internal organs, including glands. And the main advantage of yoga is - it is applicable for the people of all age, even for the week people. We can use yoga as a preventive measure and also as a therapeutic treatment for different diseases.

Do you have any dietetic advice ?

First of all you have to clear your mind - why you are practicing yoga. What is the purpose? If you take yoga a physical exercise, build up your muscles, be physically strong, the diet will be different. In this practice as you focus on the muscles, strength, power, endurance, stamina, you have to take sufficient protein, vitamins, carbohydrate, minerals, etc. to maintain your body. But when you relate you practice with physical and mental both, the diet system should be changed. Yoga is a blend of philosophy and science. So, modification of diet and improving our eating habit is very essential in Yoga. It is said that the purity of mind depends on the purity of diet. But in modern life the diet may be modified according to many factors. Climate, way of life and availability of food are most important among those factors. Even these factors support you, to keep good yoga body, you have to avoid wrong eating habit, such as eating too much, eating too fast, eating too hot or cold, not eating balanced food or having hot discussion when eating, etc. Remember all these are external. It's most important to assimilate the food. Feeling full is not that important when you eat, feeling satisfied is more important. And one more important thing is , only eat when you feel hungry.
Yoga is purely an Indian Sadhu culture. As the availability of the varieties vegetables in India is easier and the Sadhus and Gurus proved that it's easy to practice yoga, if you are vegetarian, so in yoga to be a vegetarian has become a culture. But again in some yogic path ( like Tantra sadhana ) you no need to be a pure vegetarian.
At present, yoga has become more international. People exploring yoga and trying to adopt yoga in their lifestyle. In that case some times it is difficult for a practitioner to be a pure vegetarian if he is is from a place where all live on meet only.
In yoga, the main purpose of asking you to be vegetarian is because they want you to be nonviolent. Which is a very important teaching in yoga? The first stop of Ashtanga yoga is Yama and the first step of Yama is talking about Ahimsa of nonviolence. So eating meat 'tamasik' food is not the only message of nonviolence. It's only a path. Even thinking violent can destruct the focus. The most important thing is to be full conscious about your action. If you know what you are doing and if your 'vivek' ( properly educated conscience ) agree with it, just go ahead.
One of the most important purposes of doing yoga is to store energy in out body. But when we eat meat, out digestive system needs lot of energy to assimilate it. So, instead of storing energy , we are misusing the valuable energy by merely choosing wrong good. Satwik of proper vegetarian food can help us to restore the energy and we can use the energy for better purpose. It is also not a good idea to be vegetarian in over night. If you want a change, take time, or this sudden change can trouble your body and mind. Even can help to grow up ego, so taking easy can help you to show your right path.

Can yoga reduce fat?

It's a very common thinking that yoga can reduce fat. Actually the role of yoga is to balance our body and mind. It’s very easy now a day to see some people who crazily work out to burn fat from the body. They don't know what should be the measurement of fat in ones body and don't know the role of fat in human body. Slime always doesn't mean healthy. Excessive fat in the body is sickness at the same time right label of fat in the body can keep us healthy. Fat helps to keep the body worm, supplies food and energy to the cells, protects the bones and muscles and makes the body graceful. But excessive fat or obesity is really a burning problem now a day. Unhealthy wrong and irregular life style, heavy diet, constant use of high fat food, lack of physical exercise, comfortable life style, glandular or genetic problems are the main causes for gaining unnecessary extra fat. Yoga is a life style. The practice of yoga will give you a clear idea about body, health, diet, rest, life style, exercise and thinking. Only balanced diet, balanced rest and balanced exercise can give a healthy body. Imbalance of any one of these three can cause disease in the body. If you choose yoga to balance your fat, you cannot choose only the exercise part of yoga to get the maximum benefit out of it. Of course yoga postures will help you to burn calorie, make your body heated to sweat, stretch the muscles to maintain its elasticity, make your internal organs active, glands' secretion perfect, but these are the physical part of yoga. Along with yoga posture practice, one needs to do fasting periodically and methodically. Kriya or cleansing has a very effective part to reduce fat. One needs to cut down excessive fat food, high calories food and high carbohydrate food from the diet. It’s better to avoid consuming carbohydrate and protein together in one mill. Introduce more fibrous food and vegetable in diet. It’s good to avoid sleeping immediately after meal.

But one should have a clear idea about how much he or she wants to be slim. Some times too much die ting and too much exercise make people crazy. Even the skin on the bone cannot make them happy. They need to balance their mind before they go for yogasana or diet.