Yoga: A Pathway to Holistic Health and Inner Peace
“Yoga is an invaluable gift of ancient Indian tradition. It embodies unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfilment; harmony between man and nature and a holistic approach to health and well-being. Yoga is not about exercise but to discover the sense of oneness with ourselves, the world and nature. By changing our lifestyle and creating consciousness, it can help us to deal with climate change.” (Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to the UN General Assembly on 27 September 2014)
What is Yoga?
The word ‘yoga’ is derived from the Sanskrit root yuj meaning “to join”, “to yoke” or “to unite”. According to Yogic scriptures, the practice of yoga leads to the union of individual consciousness with universal consciousness. Yoga is essentially a spiritual discipline based on an extremely subtle science which focuses on bringing harmony between mind and body that will help in attaining self-realisation. It is an art and science for healthy living. Medical research in recent years has uncovered many benefits that yoga offers — physical fitness, musculoskeletal functioning and cardio-vascular health. It is also beneficial in the management of diabetes, respiratory disorders, hypertension, hypotension and many lifestyle related disorders. Yoga helps reduce depression, fatigue, anxiety disorders and stress.
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K. Dominic Reddy is an author of books, an English lecturer, a motivational psychologist and trainer. He holds an M.A. in English Literature and Philosophy, M.Sc. in Psychology and a PG Dipl. in Counselling and Yoga, and he has received the Best Teacher Award.
