Earlier there was a common notion that yoga was only practiced by the yogis and sages in jungle. For many ages the value of yoga therapy was underestimated. And now even when the whole world is vouching by this technique, sadly many people (especially Indians) are still hitting the gym as they think yoga is a very slow process for getting into shape. But it is a fact that – The slow and steady wins the race.

Etymologically, the word yoga (yog) is derived from a Sanskrit word “Yuj”, which means unity or oneness. Well here the unity or oneness can be interpreted into various ways, it can either be the transcendental oneness of the individual consciousness with the Universal consciousness or it could also mean oneness of the body with the mind.

Yoga is yet another valuable gift of Indian culture given to the world. It not only harmonizes the body and mind, but also treats various bodily ailments.

We can draw an analogy and say that we need law and order in our society to live in peace and harmony. It is not the case that people will fight and they’ll kill each other if there is no law or so on. But it is also true that if not today, not tomorrow then may be after a year or so there will be a feud which might turn ugly and will bring dire consequences. Likewise, yoga therapy not only brings the sense of calmness in our bodies but also it acts like a police who keeps check on the harmony of our mind, body and emotions.

We all must have experienced stress in our lives and in today’s competitive lifestyle stress has become a very important part of our lives. Some say – Stress is like fuel which drives us to success. Even I agree that stress is fuel, a fuel which burns down one’s body, mind, happiness and sense of well being. Due to stress all the elements of the body get disturbed and no longer function in harmony. In many cases they start working against each other. Disease like diabetes is one of such examples. Practice yoga for getting rid of stress from your mundane daily life. It's important.

It is a common myth that yoga therapy comprises asanas for reducing fat or to one slim. Wrong. Yoga also provides asanas which prevent common ailments. It promotes many practices regarding one’s endocrine system, nervous system as well and many more innumerable practices are offered by yoga.

The asanas, mudras and all the different postures in yoga has specific function and play a significant role in making mind and body in sound condition. Even if there is chaos in one’s body, after regular practice, yoga restores a sense of calmness into one’s mind also and keeps the body in shape. Also when we lose some extra kilos while practicing yoga it boosts up our self-confidence.

The best thing about practicing yoga is one doesn’t have to spend lots of money on it. One can do all the asanas at home, all one needs is a yoga-mat (even that is not compulsory) and an airy room, even terrace will do. One does not have to buy those equipments which are not only too costly but also need a lot of space, also one exercising machine works on only one part of the body. And not everyone can afford to buy a hoard of machines.

There is another advantage to practicing yoga. And that is, it does not encourage dieting but it says to eat healthy. In many gyms the trainer gives out specific diet chart which helps in building muscles or losing fat. It mainly comprises of protein shakes and so on, and which might show its effect in no time but is unhealthy for longer run. There is no such thing in yoga. Also while practicing yoga one does not have to worry about muscle-pull or cramps which are very common in other kind of exercises. If one follows healthy diet and practices yoga regularly then not only he/she will live longer but will live a healthier life.

Most importantly, when we do pranayam practices in yoga, which means breathing practices to control breath, it not only means normal breathing but through these practices one tries to breathe in maximum amount of oxygen. And we all know that oxygen is a very important component in our body to keep the functioning of our vital intact.

Like they say- A great novel is food for thought; likewise I believe that all the postures of yoga are food for soul.