When we think about Yoga our mind instantly runs a calm and serene environment where men and women bend and twist their bodies into beautiful poses synchronized with their breathing. However, when someone asks HOW these asanas help with the development of an individual’s body and mind, we are at a loss of words.

When countries across the globe started celebrating 21st June as International Yoga Day, many of us didn’t know that our Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the reason behind this massive yoga drive. In 2014, during his speech at the UNGA (United Nations General Assembly) spoke about the significance and the benefits and urged the members to work towards adopting an International Yoga Day. The draft resolution establishing the International Day of Yoga was proposed by India and endorsed by a record 175 member states. 

As soon as the resolution was adopted, the Indian armed forces wanted to incorporate this into their routine to help the men and women guarding the borders as high as the Siachen Glacier to the warships in the Indian Ocean.

DIPAS ( Defence Institute for Physiology and Allied Sciences ) conducted several tests monitoring continuously the changes happening to a person as he was performing various asanas and breathing exercises. Several scholars from this institute and across the world have published papers that point out to the breathing exercises followed in yoga helps relax the passageways that carry oxygen to and from our lungs. They further attribute this to the successful missions carried out in the Siachen Glacier, the highest battleground on the face of the Earth. The asanas themselves have a direct effect on the flexibility and strengthening of various body parts at once. All of these together help fight stress in soldiers, improve lung function at high altitudes and quicker decision-making in war zones.

Coming down to the civilian level, consistent practice of yoga improves flexibility through a gradual loosening of the muscles and connective tissues surrounding the bones and joints, reduce aches and pains, build muscle mass and/ or maintain muscle strength, which protects from conditions such as arthritis, osteoporosis and back pain.

Further, it helps an individual relax, regulate the breath and focus on the present. It further shifts the stimulation of  sympathetic nervous system ( responsible for releasing more of a stress hormone called cortisol which is responsible for our body to get ready for a fight or move away from a dangerous situation ) to parasympathetic system lowering cortisol level, producing a calming and restoring effect in the body, regulate heart rate, and increasing blood flow to the intestine and vital organs.

Yogic practices inhibit the areas responsible for fear, aggressiveness and rage, and stimulate the rewarding pleasure centres in the median forebrain and other areas leading to a state of bliss and pleasure.

Research also highlights that consistent yoga practice can lead to significant increases in serotonin( happiness inducing hormones ) levels coupled with decreases in the levels of monoamine oxidase, an enzyme that breaks down neurotransmitters and cortisol. Studies also demonstrate the potential beneficial effects of yoga interventions on depression, stress, and anxiety.

The discipline of yoga offers individuals a timeless and holistic model of health and healing, there exists an indisputable connection between a person’s overall physical and mental health. Yoga is designed to achieve inner peace and well-being. Yoga suspends the fluctuations of the mind and by acting consciously, we live better and suffer less.