AsiaSpa - July-August 2017

Well-Being

80 AsiaSpa July/August 2017

JOGGERS RUNNING OUTDOORS/THINKSTOCK; YOUNG COUPLE EXERCISING TOGETHER AT PARK/THINKSTOCK; CUTE GIRLS WORKING OUT IN A GYM/THINKSTOCK

head of yoga Balasundar M.S. considers

yoga not so much a form of exercise, but a

way of life. He calls it “the science of the

spirit” and a “holistic way of living”, adding

that, “Its practice can bring total peace and

harmony.”

Of hatha yoga in particular, Balasundar

says the body is “an instrument to master

the mind and enable us to attain higher

states of consciousness”. The combination

of physical postures, breathing exercises

and meditation, he says, aims to purify and

balance the body.

Anyone who has participated in the

practice will have experienced the sensation

of pure calm as they lay in savasana, and it

is this holistic, harmonising approach that

many around the globe turn to yoga in their

pursuit of well-being. Its effects on reducing

anxiety and tension help people find

balance, and most yoga practitioners would

agree with Balasundar that the benefits

lie in its holistic approach to targeting the

spiritual, psychological and intellectual.

The physical benefits are not to be

glossed over either. As a workout, yoga

helps improve strength, muscle tone

and flexibility, and can help you hold a

headstand. Bikram yoga, for example, has

been shown to decrease body fat, improve

deadlift strength and increase strength in

the lower back and hamstrings. The study

may not have revealed its role in improving

overall fitness, but that’s where being active

in different ways comes into play, and not

always in the form of a dedicated workout.