Yoga and Mental Health

The current world situation requires every individual to be always cautious and alert of the work they're doing. Each of us are overworked and underpaid according to our capabilities. Our office hours may have shortened and we have better work ethics and longer weekends than the previous generation but we're also more accountable for any slip and simultaneously more dependent upon our jobs. Almost all of us have a long term debt and our biggest nightmare is losing our jobs. At such situations, anxiety, stress and tension are natural. However, over long term these simple ailments result in major health issues. Most middle aged people suffer from illnesses like diabetes, cholesterol, blood pressure, or body pain. These illnesses develop over time and are incurable, they can only be kept in check by taking regular medicines. Slowly, other chronic illness develops and slowly but surely disintegrates the wellness of the body. It's this lifestyle that will result in our generation aging quickly and for the worst. Unlike our ancestors, who lived long with functional bodies till they died, our generation has already started to witness individuals being stuck to their beds.

This scary account is to remind everyone of the consequences of our hectic life that we're leading and to warn of similar results if we don't alter it. A Yoga guru in Rishikesh once said, " Without the help of Yoga, this generation is doomed." I believe in it fervently. Trying many exercise regimes, I found that none of them focus or even acknowledge mental well-being. It trains your muscles, joints, and bones but completely ignores the need to exercise my mental state. Now, more than ever, do we need to understand that mental health issues require acceptance and treatment But to avoid them from creeping up, only Yoga is an effective practice.

Yoga's inclusion of focus on breathing exercises and meditation, calm and relax the production of hormones that cause us anxiety and depression. Simultaneously, it increases the level of good hormones so that the balance may be achieved. Yoga instructors are all trained to prescribe the necessary time that an individual would require to meditate, in order to achieve mental well-being. Yoga is the only practice that aspires and has affective steps designed to balance the physical and mental health. This is such a blessing, since Yoga can be easily learnt and then practiced according to the schedule of individuals. Corporate offices are now hiring Yoga instructors to teach their employees the benefits of Yoga during the office hours, thus ensuring the wellness of their employees. This proves that not only India but the world, too, at large has accepted the benefits of Yoga and is rapidly making it a part of their lives.