Simplified Yogic Practices for a Common Man
Have you ever wondered, what is the one and only thing which always remains with you for your whole life? It is your body.
To achieve something big in your life and enjoy its fruits you need a healthy body and a good control of your mind. When one of these lags it will show up in the outcome as a delay, unfinished job, or poor quality of life.
A sound soul dwells within a sound mind and a sound body.
Discussed below are some of the practices preached by yogis and are practiced by several successful people to achieve. I tried to provide them in a simplified form so that it can be followed easily.
Rise Early for Your Passion
Get your extra hours by rising early, 4 AM is a good start. Try not to have any disturbance from any external sources during this time. Use this time for anything you want to achieve and create your ART.
I was a late riser for a long time, when I realized, I needed extra time and I cannot skip anything I do on a regular day such as office work, time with family and friends, etc. The only way I can get more time is by rising early or staying awake late in the night. If you stay late and do work, since it is the end of the day, your best energy is already consumed for other activities and your body is physically tired.
If you want to forcibly wake up because others told you, then you will be back into the trap of not being able to carry through forever.
You will wake up for sure,
when you know you want the time to yourself and
you are going to spend that time on your passion or your dream.
As soon as you wake up and also during this early morning time, DO NOT use phone/social media – all extras can wait.
We definitely have time for others in the day later. Nothing is going to change by immediately looking at social media and becoming reactive and respond to others. Say NO to email checking also, it can definitely wait.
Drinking a glass or two of water can help to hydrate and clean your gut easily.
“The early bird catches the worm”
Waking up early provides an extra time boost than the rest who do not rise early. Not only is waking up enough, but you also need to work towards catching the worms you want. By waking up early, you now have an advantage.
Vibrant Colors of Life
How many times have you gotten the opportunity to watch a sunrise or sunset? Every minute of the sunrise is different and every day is different. One can notice the change in colors in the sky, from black to light blue. During this progression, you can see the different smooth gradients of orange, red, pink, purple, etc. Along with the sunrise, when you experience the soft chill breeze, the melody of the chirping birds, animal sounds, and the waves of the ocean or river, one can realize the immense power of nature and its gift to us. Even though you can try to capture it through the camera, what you can experience when watching while its happening in the moment cannot be equated to watching a video later.
You can realize the universe is changing every second while watching the sunrise/sunset and you will never get the same instance again.
The universe is always changing and doesn’t stop.
One must embrace continuous changes in their life to be nimble.
Sound Body
Fifty years ago, there was more playing and doing hard work, so there was not an extra need to talk specifically about exercise. Even during those times, different forms of exercises were practiced to keep the body and mind fit.
Now with so many advancements, things are becoming easy and readily available every day. Getting out often or practicing daily exercise routines have become a luxury. We all know exercise is good, but we don’t practice them regularly.
With so many priorities, there is a need for an easily doable practice which can be performed by all within a short time at any place with no cost.
5 Minutes – Strengthen Articulation
Notice all the joints in your body from top to bottom – Jaw, Neck, Shoulder, Elbow, Wrist, Finger, Back Spine, Hip, Knee, Ankle, and Toe.
Give each joint a quick rotation 10 times in a clockwise and counterclockwise direction.
15 Minutes – Sun Salutation
Surya Namaskar, the Sun Salutation, is a series of 12 postures performed in a single, graceful flow. Each movement is coordinated with your breathing. Inhale as you extend or stretch, and exhale as you fold or contract. The Sun Salutation builds strength and increases flexibility.
Many YouTube videos and websites explain the steps of performing Sun Salutation. It gives a workout to the whole body.
When you perform one Sun Salutation, start with right leg and for the next sequence, the left leg. Repeat this 12 times. Maximum it may take 15 minutes to finish.
As you grow older, your priorities change and the time for physical activities get squeezed. Spending 20 minutes on the above stated practice can give the needed exercise, when you don’t find time to do long physical workouts.
Meditation
Meditation is a type of practice which helps you live in the present moment and not to delve in the past or future.
Many researches show meditation has various benefits in maintaining mental stability and curing diseases. Meditation works to balance left and right hemispheres of the brain and creates harmony.
Meditation is the key to unlock
your untapped, limitless potential.
Meditation can be practiced anytime, by sitting upright, closing your eyes and by concentrating on your inhale and exhale process.
There are several types of meditation practices in use, to name a few, Simplified Kundalini Yoga (SKY), The Art of Living, Isha Yoga, Mindfulness, etc. You can try one or more and whichever suits to your likings, you can follow.
Playing a Sport
It’s always fun playing a sport, whether it is an individual or group sport. This will keep your heart healthy, strengthen muscles, and keep the brain active. Try playing different sports to learn their rules and at the same time keep yourself healthy.
Fuel
Food and water are the fuel for our body. Our body absorbs minerals, vitamins, carbohydrates, and proteins from the food we eat and makes energy for us to move and perform actions, which strengthens our body and fights against infections.
We have more awareness about gadgets such as TV, cell phone, gaming devices, etc. However, we are not spending time to understand the functions of our own human body and taking things for granted until we face a health issue.
Did you know digestion starts from your mouth? When you eat, if you are not hungry or if your attention is on the TV or cell phone (basically when your focus is not on eating food), your body doesn’t produce the needed saliva to help digest the food. Gulping the food without chewing it not only puts a burden on your stomach, but also causes the food to go to waste without utilizing the minerals.
Our senses are the feedback systems of the body which provide critical information on whether to intake food or not, and in addition with your knowledge, you should pick and choose the right food for you to consume.
What you intake makes you.
Your body is your choice, so make conscious choices to help yourself enjoy a healthy life for 100 plus years.
Sleep to Rejuvenate
When you had a good night sleep or even a short nap during the day, you feel very refreshed after that rest. When you don’t get a good night sleep, the next day doesn’t go well, as we feel sluggish and not motivated to do any work.
When we are awake, the brain is busy providing continuous instructions to all the parts of the body so that all of them can perform their functions.
The brain needs lots of energy to continuously monitor and provide instructions. Because of this, the brain is designed not to spend energy to clean up the waste which is getting produced during the time we are awake. When we sleep, the brain can safely shut down some of the functions and spend energy on draining the waste out of the brain.
When all the waste is drained, we feel very refreshed when we wake up after a good sleep.
Empower Others
Each one of us possesses some skills, which many others are in need of to learn to advance their life.
When you realize the knowledge and work you provide to others is making a difference, it provides joy and fulfillment in your life.
Empower others to uplift you.
Happiness Farming
Many times we run for things that we don’t have, not realizing the things we already possess and always keep worrying about the missing. Instead of wasting the energy in worrying, we should direct the energy in achieving the same.
Spend some time at the end of each day to be thankful for the good things that happened to you and the gift of the life you are able to lead. There could be worse things happening all around the world and you could have been a victim.
This daily practice of feeling grateful for what you possess is the process of happiness farming which can shape your future for a much more content and happy life.
You may falsely perceive others control your happiness until you realize your part.
You are responsible for your happiness.