From the cover of Vogue and Cosmo to the guy and gal next door, Yoga is becoming one of the most popular trends in health and fitness. As the world turns quickly with hectic schedules and limited time, it seems as though everyone is looking for the perfect way to create balance in their everyday lives. In Sanskrit, the classical language of India, Yoga means union, relating to the oneness of our body, mind and spiritual well being. This age-old exercise program uses bodily postures (asanas), breathing techniques (pranayama) and meditation (dyana) to create perfect balance for attaining a sound, healthy body and a clear peaceful mind.
Contrary to popular opinion, yoga is more than a simple exercise, there is an astounding spiritual and mental power of positive transformation associated with Yoga. In fact, with regular practice, one can achieve numerous physical benefits including tension reduction in involuntary muscles, increased strength and flexibility, body fat loss and improvement in digestion, circulation and the immune system. Several medical benefits lie within the practise of yoga as well, such as managing and controlling arthritis, asthma, back pain, blood pressure, chronic fatigue, diabetes, depression, stress and anxiety.
The journey in yoga begins with getting aware of our physical body, by practising asana (physical postures), and pranayamas (deep breathing). Breathing holds the most importance in yoga, as when you breath fully and deeply, you have more oxygen running in your system, resulting in more energy, So! take a deep breath right now, doesn’t it feel so good, during stressful or emotional situations, if you breath deeply, it will make your body and mind calm, you will be able to deal with any circumstance better. As they also say, your life is counted with the number of breaths you take, the deeper you breathe, the longer you live.
Yoga teaches how to live in the present moment, brings a sense of calmness and gratitude in our lives, living in a fast-paced, time crunching society often takes a toll on our physical and mental well being. Between work, home and all the demands of our daily lives, are the major culprits for health problems like stress, depression, back pain and high body fat.
Moving to Toronto four years ago. I faced some of these problems, which are associated with the Torontonian lifestyle, and this resulted in Yatna Yoga.
YATNA, means activity of will, eagerly flowing towards a fruitful journey, that’s the name of my 8-month program, which aims at achieving optimum health, a balanced lifestyle, increased fitness level and a positive mental well-being. This program is individually based, as each one of us has different genes, bodies and lifestyle, in this program key elements of yoga are used along with its philosophy, with a combination of strength, endurance, cardiovascular training, nutritional guidance, meditation and stress management techniques.
Yoga is rediscovered in this century to make our lives healthier, enriched and peaceful, in times of war and famine, we need more peace all around us, one person can make a difference. How? By being calm and peaceful within. Yoga is a wonderful experience and a lifetime companion for getting to know yourself, regular practice is a holistic form of self-care that reduces stress and nourishes our mind-body-spirit. So make yoga a part of your lifestyle and discover a pathway for personal transformation.
For more information and rates contact Lubna Kirvana at 416-822-1207 or e-mail at strivetoachieve2@hotmail.com