Yoga- everyday cup of tea

Mrs. Vidya Wable
Asst. Professor
AISSMS College of Pharmacy

 

We usually think that yoga is something which is for adults; a way of increasing overall physical and mental health especially for those who have begun to feel the aches, pains and stresses that inevitably arise once grown-up. The youth today is more attracted towards having 22 inch biceps and 6&8 packs. They are more concerned about BMI (Body Mass Index) than BPI (Brain Performance Index). This new generation is becoming a witness to a world which has increasing problems such as violence, stress, suicide, corruption, ADHD, job insufficiency, etc.

In today’s time, young people are more stressed than any other current living generation. As the globalization is exposing the youth all over the word to several new demands, standards and options, children somewhere experience stress and mental health challenges. There is also an increased pressure to succeed in school/colleges, partly due to increased competition but also due to the availability of diverse range of options for young people in contemporary times as compared to the past. Today’s society offer a plenty of distractions and undesirable attractions especially linked to new media technologies causing a shift in lifestyles and priorities of our new generation. This eventually invites health issues such as obesity, media addiction, identifying media as a factor of mental illness, dependency, obsessive–compulsive behaviors, concentration problems, some attention disorders and many others. It is the need of the hour to find solutions comprising empowerment. It is vital to provide children and young people with tools to develop self-reflection, self-protection, self-regulation, and holistic self-development.

Whether you are a child or a grown-up, it is important for all to add yoga practices in your routine. This shall benefit you to embrace the feelings of serenity, keep up your vitality levels, improve adaptability, and will let you discover motivation to channelize your energies correctly

Yoga- a potential tool

Yoga is a potential tool for the youth as it helps to train the mind and body to maintain a good emotional balance and thus benefits in dealing with stress and other issues. Yoga benefits physical and mental health via down regulation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis and the sympathetic nervous system.

The growth of digital and social media has anticipated that the average human attention span is on the decline and has made classroom concentration completely a different challenge. Yoga helps in calming and relaxing the heart rate which then signals the brain to activate the parasympathetic nervous system. Activated parasympathetic nervous system increases our ability to focus and learn.

Yoga is also known as a reducing factor of anxiety in not only young people but elders as well. As a need of the present times, yoga can also help young people develop deeper emotional intelligence. This can help them recognize and deal independently with negative feelings, increasing mental resilience. It can also help them to develop compassion and empathy for others. Yoga improves strength and flexibility which weakens stress and depression.

Infact, you can count on Yoga as something more than appropriate for younger people. It would eventually prove vital in improving both the physical and mental health of the next generations.