How Yoga Helps You Reach Cloud?

Imagine a world where stress melts away, worries fade, and inner peace is at the top. Sounds like a dream, doesn’t it?

But what if we told you that this dream is within reach? 

“Happiness is not something readymade. 

It comes from your actions.”

Happiness is the end goal of every human being. Breaking the old proverb – We live every day, we die only once. Yoga can be a powerful tool for finding zen and well-being. 

Sunlight in the night 

Trapped in the suffocating grip of anorexia and a pit of suicidal thoughts, a young girl was tied to a hospital’s suicide watch for three years. Parents, in a state of fear and despair, watched helplessly as their child’s life dwindled. Doctors predicted the kid wouldn’t survive till 16 years of age. But yoga became an unexpected lifeline, moving her out of mental torture and physical suffering. With only 10 minutes a day, she was on a path of healing, restoring hope, and ultimately saving her life. 

As per the reports, around 300 million people globally practice yoga. Over 36 million in the United States alone, are involved in the activity regularly. A remarkable growth of 63.8% was experienced between 2010 to 2021, revealing how its popularity soared among the people. 

But why are the modern masses so intrigued with the 5000 years long back practice? So, let’s dive into its benefits. 

Good to great bodily boons 

Yoga helps increase stamina and forms comparatively stronger muscles than those who didn’t practice it. Resulting in flexibility, which leads to better posture, lowers the risk of frequent injuries, and more. For increasing flexibility, Vinyasa, Hatha, and Yin styles are perfect for providing strength to the major parts of your body. 

Due to yoga’s capability to ease off mind and body, it plays an important role in enhancing cardiovascular health. The director of Cardiac Arrhythmia Service at Johns Hopkins, Hugh Calkins states: “A large number of studies show that yoga benefits many aspects of cardiovascular health. There’s been a major shift in the last five years or so in the number of cardiologists and other professionals recognizing that these benefits are real.”

Statista’s Global Consumer Survey displays that women mostly practice yoga across various nations. In the United States, the ratio of men and women who perform yoga or similar activities is 12% and 27% respectively. Whereas, Indian men show higher interest with 22% in comparison to other countries, with over 31% of women respondents. 

Fading mental and emotional burden with Yoga  

An analysis of regular yoga practitioners shows that over 86% experienced stress reduction. Depression symptoms declined by 28% and 59% reported improved sleep quality. An associate professor at George Washington University and a board-certified psychiatrist in adult and forensic psychiatry, Dr. Susan Trachman, states that it is truly helpful in curing mood disorders. Trachman points out its therapeutic benefits in the case of gastrointestinal issues, traumatic stress disorder, and more. 

In a survey conducted by Harvey Medical School on 65 adults with depression, who were allotted to take hot yoga sessions twice a week, or choose a waiting list. In a matter of 8 weeks, the group who took sessions noticed a 50% tangible decline in depression symptoms, whereas only 6% in the waiting list. The study shows that 90 minutes of sessions twice a week could help in reducing depression symptoms.

Into another world 

Yoga helps in releasing happy hormones such as oxytocin, endorphins, and dopamine. It focuses on controlled breathing techniques, like Nadi Shodhana, Dirga Pranayama, Deep breathing, etc. 

“Bring awareness to each act. Walking on the road, walk fully alert; eating, eating with awareness. Whatever you are doing, don’t let the past and the future interfere. Be in the present. That’s what awareness is all about.” – OSHO 

It introduced us to mindfulness meditation techniques, which involve noticing the rhythm of the natural inhale and exhale process and feeling it throughout the body. These breathing techniques activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which gives a deeper sense of calm inner peace, and inner strength to handle pressure.  

Getting started with a right corner that makes you feel motivated to come daily is another go-to task. Prefer a window space with plenty of sunlight coming in, that refreshes your mood altogether. Placing an indoor plant and a few candles, especially Lavender and Sage completes the space that’s exactly needed to feel heaven. 

Yoga to Improve Sleep: 5 Ways to Fight Insomnia Naturally

Millions are fighting Insomnia across the world. How does a body define insomnia? Essentially, it is the condition where one cannot fall asleep or stay asleep. These can sometimes lead to fatigue, poor health, and mental strain as well. Fast lifestyles and stress form the major causes. Allopathic treatments in the form of sleep aids for some time do give relief from this problem; however, yoga helps in fighting it without any artificial or unnatural aids.

In Online Yoga Life, we are interested in holistic health through yoga. We’re providing an online teacher training course with specific units of Yoga therapy, students being prepared to lead others over insomnia and much more using yogic techniques.

What Can Cause Insomnia?

There are a multitude of reasons for insomnia :

Stress and Anxiety: Often, stressors in life can interrupt sleep.

Lifestyle Choices: Irregular sleep schedules, too much time staring at electronic screens, and stimulants like caffeine.

Physical and Mental Health: Chronic pain, depression, and anxiety are among the most common causes of sleep disorders.

Environmental Factors: Inadequate lighting or too much noise from the environment or even a sleeping space could compromise the quality of sleep.

Conventional Treatments

Traditional treatments include:

Sleep Medications: They are short-term solutions that can sometimes be effective but come with the cost of addiction as well as many side effects.

CBT-I (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy): Could alter errant thoughts about sleep but this does take some time as well as availability.

Lifestyle Changes: Avoiding caffeine, creating bedtime rituals, and optimizing the sleep environment can contribute but will not necessarily relate to deeper reasons.

Yoga: A Holistic Approach to Sleep Therapy;

Unlike the other methods, which are mostly targeted at the symptoms, Yoga holds to a root level. It targets all of these multiple layers – the physical, the psychological, as well as the emotional in the insomnia cycle. With continued yogic practice, balance is re-established in the nervous system, the body calms, and the mind quietens.

Yogic techniques that helps in aiding insomnia:

1. Asanas (Physical Postures) for Relaxation

Some Yoga postures force the body to release tension in areas that commonly collect stress like the shoulders, neck, and lower back. These poses help induce a state of serenity suitable for restful sleep:

Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclined Bound Angle Pose): Opens the hips and chest while promoting deep relaxation.

Viparita Karani (Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose): It is a gentle inversion, and its utilization brings both a calming of the mind and perhaps gets tired legs off the ground, striking serenity.

Balasana (Child’s Pose): It is a restorative posture that tends to reduce tension in the lower back while gently stretching the spine.

Shavasana (Corpse Pose): It is often the final posture in a session of yoga. Shavasana allows the body to absorb the impacts of practice and moves toward deep rest.

2. Pranayama: Control Breathing for Serenity

Yogic breathing techniques, one of the most effective tools to manage stress that is often at the root of insomnia. Managing the breath changes the nervous system’s mode from fight-or-flight to rest-and-digest.

Alternate Nostril Breathing, or Nadi Shodhana, balances the hemispheres of the brain and calms the mind in preparation for the restful sleep desired.

Bhramari Pranayama (Bee Breath): This calms the nervous system and is done to help reduce stress and anxiety.

4-7-8 Breathing Technique: Not a Yogic technique, but rather adopted as an addendum to Pranayama for enhancing sleep. Inhale for 4 seconds, retain for 7, then exhale for 8. This will slow your breathing down in a way that effectively acts upon the parasympathetic nervous system in the body, and your body will adjust into relaxation.

3. Kriya (Cleansing Techniques) for Energy Balance

Yogic Kriyas cleanse the inner systems of the body and ensure smooth flow of energy in the body. Built-up stress can also be released; this is of utmost importance to sleep.

Jala Neti (Nasal Cleansing): This involves rinsing the nose with warm saline water-a simple but effective practice. Jala neti often helps the person improve their respiration and promote sleeping habits; it also cuts down on snoring when performed.

4. Meditation and Mindfulness for Mental Clarity

Probably one of the greatest long-term tools against insomnia is meditation. Regular practice quiets the mind, reduces stress levels, and makes it easier to remain in the present.

Yoga Nidra (Yogic Sleep): This is a guided meditation that is intended to guide the individual into an unconscious state of rest, sometimes referred to as “sleeping with awareness.”

While we talk about being aware while sleeping one must be known to the fact that curing insomnia is not just managing your sleeping pattern but working on your thoughts which pass through your mind every second, one should consciously work on remembering lord or cherished divinity and surrender your pattern of thoughts to him. Doing the process mindfully would definitely provide positive results & can be very potent for those who experience difficulty sleeping.

Mindfulness Meditation: Mindfulness practice helps maintain being in the moment, away from rushing and anxious thoughts that mostly do not allow sleep to come.

Recommendations for Good Nutrition on Quality Slumber;

Apart from physical and mental practices, diet also plays an important role in regulating sleep. The kind of food we have determines our digestion and energy level as well as mental clarity of which we need to be clear in order to sleep well.

Avoid Stimulants: Don’t have coffee, smoke, or feast on spicy or heavy food before you sleep. It stimulates the nervous system and would interfere with easy sleep.

Light Evening Meals: For dinner, select easily digestible foods like soups, salads, or steamed vegetables. Avoid overeating or gobbling too much rich food during the night as it would give you disrupted digestion and sleep.

Indulge in Slumber-Enhancing Foods: Almonds, walnuts, bananas, and milk, hot, are rich in magnesium, tryptophan, and melatonin, all of which improve sleep quality.

Conclusion: Inner Peace towards Quality Sleep:

Restoring and maintaining health through sleep is essential. Through Yoga, meditation, and mindful breathing, you create inner peace, promoting better sleep. Real rest begins within, and when your body and mind align, sleep becomes restful. Trust your body’s capacity to heal through gentle movement and deep breathing. As you become more attuned to yourself, your sleep will gradually normalize, leaving you feeling refreshed and restored.

Also if you’re an admirer of Yoga and want to know more about how to handle disorders like insomnia, then certainly the online teacher training class would be the class of your dreams. There’s also a special unit on Yoga as therapy; we teach the students how to use holistic methods in addressing sleep disorders. That way, if you want to be a guide for other people on their wellness path, or if you feel you need to seek betterment of your own practice, our course will give you tools in using Yoga therapeutically in finding ways to beat common challenges that lead to insomnia.

In a world that’s so great at snap fixes and quick solutions, here’s yoga: the sustainable path to retune the body’s natural sleep patterns, reduce stress, and boost the quality of life altogether. So long as you adopt yoga in your daily routine and make a few lifestyle changes, you are bound to naturally win over the battle with insomnia and enjoy the deep, restful sleep you deserve.