Yoga – A Way of life

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Yoga – A Way of life

15 Oct 2020
- admin
- Student Life
Yoga is not only a set of asanas, but it is the union of body, mind and soul. It is a highly scientific practice with deep understanding on how to keep one’s body fit and mind calm and composed. It tells you what to eat, how to eat, when to eat and what to avoid. Ayurveda is a part of the Yogic science, both complimenting each other. Ayurveda talks about a healthy diet and a healthy lifestyle; it is a sacred part of our Indian heritage and it is the need of the hour to adopt the yoga in our daily routine.

The whole world is going through a tough time, we all are facing the same or similar challenges. Now is probably the best time to get back to our roots. The whole world is adopting Yoga and moving towards a much more Holistic lifestyle and we should look into it as well. One of the main benefits of Yoga & the practice of Wellness is that it has no side effects, it helps maintaining peace of mind, in boosting our immunity and has so many positive affects on our body & mind, much needed during this pandemic.

Another aspect of Yoga is meditation which takes care of one’s emotions, and mental wellbeing. When the whole world is suffering from stress and anxiety, meditation has the power to enable you to control your thoughts. Your Breath is a connecting link between your body and mind. When you learn the art of handling the Breath, you can easily win over the mind. Meditation has the power to take you to a deeply relaxed state, a deep rest which is often more powerful than sleep. It is said that 20 minutes of meditation gives you the benefits equivalent to 4 hours of sleep. Meditation connects you to your inner space and makes you realize that you yourself are the source of your joy and happiness.

Many types of research have shown the positive impact of Yoga and meditation. Most universities around the world have started to include Yoga in their curriculum. The whole world is moving towards mindfulness and adopting a holistic way of life. India is the source of this knowledge. We need to preserve this knowledge; it is our asset & our responsibility as well to spread it to every corner of the world.

The United Nation Organization has declared 21st June as the International Day of Yoga. I would consider this to be a remarkable decision, as it played a very important role in increasing awareness about this practice among a larger audience. Many organizations played a very important role in spreading this knowledge around the world, some of them are Patanjali Yogpeeth, The Art Of Living Foundation, Isha Yoga Centre and many more, who have a huge network of volunteers spread across countries & continents.

Our institute, SOIL Institute of Management, also included yoga as a graded program in term 1 to take care of the mental wellbeing of students. This practice was started at the time of the inception of this B-School. At SOIL, Yoga, Wellness & Spirituality are an integral part of the program and is interwoven into the everyday experience of a SOIL student. Mindfulness is of the 5 Key Pillars of SOIL Values & Philosophy. Awareness comes from the practice of “mindfulness”. This is about learning to be fully present in whatever we are doing, feeling or thinking.

As a strong believer in the power of Yoga and a long-term practitioner, I have also taken a few sessions on Mind Management during our daily ritual of Morning Circle. I focus on a few techniques which everyone can do by sitting at their desks (also known as Desktop Yoga). I am blessed to have received positive feedback from my fellow batchmates and faculty, who report that they felt calmer and ready for any challenges of the new day after each session.

Our Yoga faculty, Prof Susie Roy (University of Stellenbosch – South Africa & University of Iowa) teaches a curated course on Yoga and Wellness. Basic postures, breathing and relaxation techniques for the core of her pedagogy. I have learnt a lot from her teachings and she is highly encouraging in my pursuit of my practice.

By Akshay Chouksey
PGPM – Business Leadership (Marketing), Class of 2021