Have you tried yoga and stopped immediately after? Chances are you weren’t practicing the form that caters to your body! What might work for you might not be the same case for another since yoga is rather customizable and, in some ways, extremely personal to your body.

As an ancient practice, yoga focuses on breathing, flexibility, and strength to boost mental and physical well-being. While practicing yoga, it is essential to focus on your practice’s quality and gradually improve instead of rushing through poses. Although yoga might seem dynamic or like an activity that involves a lot of movement, you’ll be surprised to know that certain poses involve only breathing exercises.

Yoga and Ayurveda

Yoga and Ayurveda are two sides of the same coin– Vedic knowledge encompasses all human life and the entire universe. Considering that these two are interrelated, it is essential to understand their respective roles concerning each other and the Vedic system.

Ayurveda is that aspect of the Vedic system that deals with all aspects of healing and well-being for body and mind. Yoga also addresses the overall well-being of the body and mind. However, where Ayurveda might involve the consumption of certain herbs and concoctions, yoga focuses more on your body’s movement, breathing, and posture. Where Ayurveda is the Vedic system developed specifically for healing purposes, yoga is the Vedic system of spiritual practice.

To some extent, yoga pervades all six Vedic systems and represents their practical side while also outlining the prime methods and principles for developing the meditative mind. This means that yoga is not inherently a medical system. It does not directly address physical or psychological disorders and focuses on spiritual well-being. However, in some capacity, it can still help develop overall well-being.

Benefits of Integrating Ayurveda and Yoga

Yoga and Ayurveda aid in healing the body and mind naturally. Where Ayurveda deals with the concepts of tridoshas, yoga deals with trigunas.

However, to maintain overall health, your tridoshas must be balanced since any disturbance can result in conditions that can affect the mind and body. Yoga stresses the quality of mind and introduces various asanas, practices, and mindfulness therapies. Keeping in mind that yoga and Ayurveda focus on two different aspects of the body, finding an integrative approach can help find methods to maintain overall health.

A Beginners Guide to Yoga and Ayurveda

Ayurveda gives you an understanding of your body type, dosha, and possible imbalances that might be affecting your health. Depending on what you take from this, there are certain yoga recommendations that you could implement to improve your quality of life.

Final Thoughts

Yoga and Ayurveda are two entities of a more extensive system, also known as the Vedic system. Integrating these two can help bring out their healing and spiritual potential.

Ayurveda focuses more on the physical aspect of overall health, and yoga focuses on the spiritual and mental. Once you understand both of these individually, you can then understand how they work alongside one another.

Once you acknowledge your body with respect to Ayurvedic terms, doshas, and body types, you can then integrate yoga poses that can help improve your overall well-being.

Essentially, it all comes down to understanding your body, an idea that is an important aspect of both Ayurveda and Yoga!

                                                                                                                                          @Nisha