Are you interested in looking after your health? Do you read healthy living magazines and dream of living the sort of life where you always eat well, have enough sleep, and work-out three times a week? But in reality, you drive everywhere, have fast-food takeaways and burn the candle at both ends?
Like most people you probably strive to lead a healthy balanced lifestyle. You aspire to prepare freshly cooked meals, make time for friends and family and have a lean-toned body.
Given the fast pace of modern day living, it can be very difficult to fit everything in. It takes time to go to the gym, time to go shopping and buy fresh fruit and vegetables and even longer to cook a healthy meal for your family.
In view of this, what can you do to carry out your good intentions? What can you do to live a healthier lifestyle? Is it possible to be healthy and still fit in all your every day activities.
Yoga may well be the secret ingredient in your quest to live a healthier lifestyle. The teachings’ and practice of yoga are based on the five following points; put together these points help you to live a healthier more balanced lifestyle.
Five Yogic Secrets to Healthier Living
1. Yoga Exercises. Yoga exercises or Asanas, help to strengthen and tone the physical body. Regular yoga practice promotes flexibility in the joints and stimulates circulation. If you can fit 10 – 20 minutes of gentle yoga stretches into your daily schedule you will feel healthier and stronger.
2. Yoga Breathing Exercises. Yoga breathing exercises help to cleanse, strengthen and purify your mind and body. There is a close link between your state of mind and the way you breathe. Correct breathing forms an essential part of yoga and meditation and helps to bring mental and emotional balance to your body and mind. Again, a few minutes of yoga breathing exercises practiced throughout your day will help you to feel calmer and more in control of the situations in your life.
3. Yoga Relaxation Exercises. Learning to relax is an art. The pace of life today can often prevent you from taking time out to rest and relax. Through yoga relaxation techniques you are able to relieve stress symptoms and develop resistance to deal with life’s stressful conditions.
4. Healthy Eating. As you know there is a direct link between what you eat and what you are. Yoga advocates eating a simple, wholesome and natural diet; one that helps to keep your body in optimum health. In addition, a yogic diet principle is to eat foods which create the least harm to other living beings and the environment.
5. Positive Thinking and Meditation. Through the practice of meditation it is possible to achieve a state of inner peace, calm and balance. These are essential qualities to ensure you do not allow negative thoughts to spoil your day. By being aware of your self-talk, and thoughts about yourself and others, it is possible to reduce the harm you cause to others.
As you can see, the practice of yoga offers you a range of tools and principles which you can use in your search to live a healthier lifestyle. Yoga is about achieving balance and harmony in your inner life and outer world. Rather than beat yourself up, just try to include one of the above yoga points into your daily life and with time, you will achieve your desire to feel healthier and live a healthier lifestyle.