Yoga saved my life

Yoga is an ancient Indian practice that permits the mind and body to be in conjunction with each other. It incorporates meditation, breathing exercises, and stretches to allow stress reduction, relaxation, and rejuvenation.

After graduating from twelfth grade, I felt burnt out from poor mental health where I often experienced anxiety and panic attacks. I also went through a period of torturous Bulimia where people with this eating disorder may secretly binge (eating large amounts of food with a loss of control over the eating) and then purge, trying to get rid of the extra calories in an unhealthy way. Consequently, my weight changed from time to time, and this affected my physical health as well. Nonetheless, I took the courage to come out and help myself before it was too late. I sought help from my family and internet where I discovered yoga as a solution to my problem.

I started downloading various yoga lessons for beginners and begun my journey to healing. I found comfort in yoga, and I felt better. I loved how slow and methodical it was, and the fact that it led me to mindful and positive thinking. Gradually, as I de-stressed and learned to relax, my sleep improved. I even used to go through the poses in my head before bed, which always helped me drift off.

My life now is so much better. The clarity of yoga was really what helped and having a routine. Now, I do yoga for minimum 10 minutes a day, and it helps to ground me. It has taught me how to calm down and not panic at everything.  There are still bits and pieces I am trying to restore but my mental health has vastly improved.

The two most prominent yoga posture I enjoy doing are Balasana (Child Pose) and Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward-Facing Dog Pose). I took the following pictures on 27th April 2023 while conducting yoga in an open place.

Figure 2: Upward-Facing Dog Pose

Figure 1: Child Pose

Yoga, an elixir that works on almost every new age predicament such as obesity, depression, diabetes and panic attacks, is not a solution only for grown-ups but also for young children and can help them lead a better lifestyle as they grow up. The following are the amazing benefits of yoga that I discovered during my healing days and can also be achieved in an educational setting such as school.

1) Reduces Stress and Anxiety

Yoga’s innate ability to cease the mental chatter and live in the moment reduces stress and anxiety, showing profound benefits in every sphere of life. Students are stressed individuals, keen to outperform themselves and prove their worth every chance they get. Yoga will help them to deal with their stress and bring back some peace of mind. If yoga is regularly practiced, then it lowers the levels of stress and anxiety and subsequently improves academic performance.

2) Improves Memory and Attention Span

Yoga helps to improve the memory function in both adults and children, a direct benefit of which would be a better academic performance in children. It also helps to improve children’s attention span and focus. In fact, yoga aids children suffering from ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) as well by reducing its core symptoms such as inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsivity. Many children suffering from ADHD are able to reduce their medication with regular yoga practice.

3) Helps to Manage Weight

Children spend long hours in sedentary poses and tend to consume a lot of junk food as well, both of which are a by-product of the new age lifestyle. Yoga helps to counterbalance this lifestyle. Through regular practice of asanas, children (especially those who are not fond of playing sports) can manage a healthy weight. This helps to curb the problem of childhood obesity at a young age in a salubrious way.

4) Improves Flexibility, Balance and Posture

Sitting down to study for long hours at a time and too much screen time can lead to incorrect posture. This poor posture in childhood can develop into major anatomy complication in adult life.  The practice of various asanas on a regular basis, leads to correction of posture, enhances flexibility and improves balance as it brings equilibrium to the whole body.

5) Teaches Correct Breathing Techniques

Breathing is fundamental to life and how we breathe is directly related to our overall well-being. Good breathing affects our movement, our posture, and our ability to handle stress in a positive way.  Through pranayama and other breathing exercises in yoga, students can learn at a young age how to master the technique of breathing correctly and improve the quality of their life.

 6) Promotes Mindfulness

Mindfulness is simply learning to be in the present. Focusing on our breath or directing our attention to the furthest sounds we can perceive is mindfulness; this can be done at any time of the day. Mindfulness enables us to become less anxious and more relaxed. Students can become more mindful using creative and entertaining visualization techniques.

7) Encourages Self-Love and Self-Care

Yoga promotes healing from the inside rather than looking good on the outside. It teaches us how to respect and love our own bodies which can be an essential message for young children who are constantly advertised with warped body image ideas on social media.  With self-love, comes self-care and yoga can teach these values at a very young age. The children learn to be comfortable in their own skin and nurture it well.

 8) Helps To Bring Peace of Mind

The vastness of academic curriculum alone can baffle students and yet, they deal with many other extra-curricular activities and social life as well. By practicing pranayama and mindfulness, students can learn how to handle the anxiety and manage the different aspects of life effectively. The peace of mind stimulates the release of good hormones that have a snowball effect and uplifts the disposition of the child in general.

To conclude, though yoga is an age-old art, but it is relevant in present times more than ever before. When it comes to benefits of yoga, this is just a tip of the iceberg. It has multiple gross and fine rewards which can help us live a healthy and joyful life. Therefore, as a teacher, we should gift students the abundance of yoga and watch as the benefits slowly unfold.

  

 Thank You.