International Day of Yoga 2024: What are the benefits of yoga and meditation?

International Yoga Day is celebrated every year on June 21. It is a day to acknowledge the profound impact that yoga and meditation have on physical, mental and spiritual health. Both yoga and meditation help clear the mind, calm down and increase concentration and focus. Moreover, feeling peaceful, relaxed and connected to the universe are the main aims of these practices. This is achieved through pranayama, or focusing on the breath.

See also: International Day of Yoga 2024: History, Significance, and Why June 21st?

Practicing yoga meditation after a yoga session allows one to enjoy the benefits of both practices simultaneously. The meditation to be done after performing all the yoga poses is called Shavasana, or corpse pose. In this pose, a person lies face up on the ground with their limbs spread outwards and their eyes closed like a corpse.

The benefits of yoga and meditation

Increased flexibility

This is one of the first benefits of yoga. In your first yoga class, you may not be able to touch your feet or bend backwards. But with regular practice, you will see the difference and eventually impossible poses will become easy for you. You will also notice that the pain in your body will start to disappear. Yoga poses like Cow Face Pose, Downward Dog Pose, Bhujangasana, Triangle Pose, Malasana, Bridge Pose, etc. help you stretch your muscles, improving your movement and reducing stiffness.

Perfect Posture

If you’re suffering from neck pain due to sitting in front of your laptop for long periods of time or fidgeting with your phone, it’s time to fix your posture. Our daily activities and physical movements can affect our posture, stressing muscles and joints and leading to severe pain. Several yoga poses, such as Mountain Pose, Shoulder Opener and Cat-Cow Stretch, can help increase your body awareness and core strength.

Improve your sleep quality

There is nothing better than doing a few yoga poses to unwind from the day. In these poses, breathing plays a key role in relaxing the body. Practice abdominal breathing (belly breathing) or alternate nostril breathing (nadi sodhana pranayama) for 3-5 minutes before going to bed. These poses also help reduce stress, stress-related anxiety, depression, and inflammation.

Elevate your mood

Yoga and meditation are great for increasing self-awareness and self-compassion. They can help reduce heavy emotions. When practiced regularly, they increase happiness hormones such as oxytocin and serotonin (also known as the “love” hormones), contributing to mental health and well-being.

Clear your mind

Regular practice of yoga and meditation can help clear your mind, make you more calm and improve your focus. Many people prefer evening classes, but you can also stretch in the morning to clear your head before starting your day. Not only this, but it can also help clear out any negative thoughts that may be occupying your mind.