Yoga Vs Gym. Which one is more effective?

Undoubtedly Gym is beneficial than not doing any exercise at all but if you want to decide which one should be opted, Yoga or Gym then below comparison will help you to decide which is more important and useful.

1. Yoga makes us strong mentally, emotionally and physically.

Yoga will help tone your body but while it’s doing that, it also helps you to be truly in the moment and infuses your spirit with positive energy. Yoga help in controlling the senses, enhance mental power and concentration. A gym workout is focused primarily on improving your body’s physical condition.  

2. Yoga benefits our full body—externally and internally.

The Asanas, Prynayams and Shatkarmas strengthen the immune system, digestive system, breathing system and increase Oxygen in our blood circulation. It increase our stamina and make our muscle powerful. A gym workout is focused just on strengthening muscles and boosting. 

3. A science to understand our self.

Meditaion is the key component of Yoga. We get closer not nature and it helps in knowing whare really we are and why we are here. It transforms our mind form distracted to concentrated and our heart from conservative to innovative. 

4. Yoga makes our body Flexible.

Yoga Asanas increase flexibility in our body on the other hand strenuous exercises make our muscles stiff and hard and cause a lots of physical problems when we grow old.

5. Yoga will make you lean.

By stretching your muscles you will strengthen them, your body will take on a leaner appearance. A gym workout filled with weights will cause your muscles to bulk up.

6. Yoga is more effective.

Yoga relies on your own—your entire body—for strengthening. Gym classes use weights and other equipment. Through different asanas, your full body becomes toned and stronger by using your own entire body weight as ‘weights’. By using only weights or other equipment, muscles are isolated and have to be worked individually in order to benefit, which takes a whole lot more time.

7. Yoga is inexpensive.

You can easily practice yoga at home, outside or in small spaces. All you need is about 6 feet place to do Yoga. A gym workout requires more equipment and more space.

8. Yoga is kinder to the body.

This does not mean yoga is not intense. Just ask anyone who practices Ashtanga. Yoga builds heat and works your muscles, but you’re doing what your body allows you to do and not attempting to lift weights and pound on the joints—both of which can cause injury. Yoga also stretches as you move through the postures and a good yoga practice builds on itself to prepare the body for the next position.

9. Yoga helps in reducing aches and pains.

A gym workout increases them. Yoga slowly stretches muscles and opens the energy channels of the body. The increased flexibility keeps muscles and joints lubricated and healthy. Weights and treadmill can cause strain which leads to soreness and injuries.

10. Yoga increases our thinking power.

During times of stress, it’s easy to forget to breathe—really breathe, and not just shallow breaths. Without deep breaths, it’s harder to think clearly and fatigue can set in. Yoga focuses on the breath so that when you need it most, those deep breaths are the norm.

11. Yoga will make us peaceful.

We move through practice with a calm, relaxed expression. No grunting, no dropping weights, no clenched teeth or grimacing expressions like you see from gym-goers. The overall intention is to release tension throughout the body and mind.

12. Yoga reduces stress.

Many yoga classes include meditation, or at least Savasana. It gives you a chance to clear the mind of the stresses of the day. With practice, stressful situations can be dealt with more easily and overall stress levels decrease. The competitive nature of a gym along with the loud music and bright lights is more likely to increase your stress.

13. Anyone can practice yoga.

No matter your age or your health, you can practice yoga. Yoga has even been found to help people who have health ailments ranging from Parkinson’s to cancer. Moreover yoga have specific Asanas for Children, Young, Oldage, Patients and Pregnant Women. Gym workouts, in general, are not designed to be therapeutic, or senior-friendly.

Nauli Kriya

Nauli is one of the Kriyas in Shatkarma (cleaning exercises) from Yoga. The exercise is claimed to serve the cleaning of the abdominal region - digestive organs, small intestine and is based on a massage of the internal belly organs by a circular movement of the abdominal muscles.

Nauli is an exercise of the classical Hatha Yoga but is not taught often in yoga schools. Nauli is considered as a difficult exercise, which can be learned only with perseverance and patience. There are four different variations, which are gradually learned one after another:

1. madhyana nauli: the isolated contraction of the central muscles of the abdominis
2. vama nauli: the isolated contraction of the left part of the central muscles of the abdomen
3. daksina nauli: the isolated contraction of the right part of the central muscles of the abdomen
4. nauli kriya: the circular movement of the central muscles of the abdomen

In yoga, Nauli generally recommended for the recovery of constipation. The exercise may clean the small intestine and eliminate digesting problems. 

Nauli is generally done standing but it is possible to do it in other position like lotus, whereby the trunk is bent forward and is supported by the hands at the thighs. After a complete breath out the entire belly is strongly brought in and then the middle belly muscle is contracted and moved in a circle.

Note : It should be done under the supervision of a trained Yoga teacher.

Vaman (वमन) or Kunjal Kriya

Vamana is therapeutic vomiting, which is a medicated emesis therapy. People with high imbalance of kapha are given this type of treatment, which loosens and mobilizes the toxins, in an effort to eliminate them from the body. Waste products (vitiated dosha) are eliminated through the upper gastrointestinal tract. 

Method: 3-5 glasses of water should be drunk while sitting down. The water should be normal in summer and lukewarm water should be drunk in winter. Then should stand straight and bent forward at 90 degree angel. Put two fingers down your throat and massage the back of your tongue as far down as possible. By pressing it you will feel the urge to vomit, which is called the pharyngeal reflex or gag reflex in medical terminology. Water will come out of your mouth in a quick series of gushes. Continue pressing until your stomach is empty.

This practice should be done first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. It is also done after shankhaprakshalana. Follow kunjal with neti. After completion of the practice it is best to wait twenty minutes or half an hour before eating. The stomach lining should have a chance to reform before the process of digestion starts pouring acids onto its sensitive surface.

At the physical level kunjal can aid the maintenance of good health as well as help in the cure of the following diseases: acidity and gas in the stomach, biliousness, nausea, food poisoning and auto-poisoning, indigestion, inflamed oesophageal mucosa, coughs, asthma, bronchitis and respiratory ailments, headaches, (both tension and migraine) and diseases of the nervous system.

At the pranic level, kunjal gives the whole body a flushing, untying knots and unblocking nadis (psychic nerves which conduct prana) so that the whole body feels revived and alive.

On the mental level, kunjal can help with many types of mental diseases and problems, acting as a kind of shock therapy to recharge the brain and mind. It especially helps with depression, lethargy, apathy, tensions, anxiety, neuroses and phobias.

Note: Those who suffer from any chronic disabling disease, an active stomach ulcer, hernia of the stomach or abdomen, high blood pressure, heart disease or oesophageal varices, should only practice kunjal under the guidance of a qualified yoga teacher or ashram.

Chanderbhedi Pranayam

Technique of doing: We should breath in form left nostril and has to hold the breath for 4 times and breath out from right nostril 2 times. Meaning if you take breath in 10 seconds then you have to hold your breath for 40 seconds and should breath out in 20 seconds (1-4-2). 

Watch the Video Below

It helps in reducing the body temperature. Ideally it can be done alone in summers and in other seasons it should be done along with Surya Bhedi Pranayam.

A Mix of Surya Bhedi Pranayam and Chandra Bhedi Pranayam will help in achieving concentration and peace.

Suryabhedi Pranayam

Suryabhedi Pranayam is done by breathing in from our right nostril and breath our from left nostril. Breath in form right nostril and  hold the breath for 4 times and breath out from left nostril 2 times. Meaning if you take breath in 10 seconds then you have to hold your breath for 40 seconds and should breath out in 20 seconds (1-4-2). 

Watch the Video below

It helps in purifying the air and can protect us from being catching cold and increase the body temperature and we don't feel much cold. Ideally it is done along in winters and in other seasons it should be done along with Chandra Bhedi Pranayam.

A Mix of Surya Bhedi Pranayam and Chandra Bhedi Pranayam will help in achieving concentration and peace.

Healthy Lifestyle with Yoga

Do you think the Healthy Lifestyle is achievable?

In my opinion most of the people will say it is not possible to achieve a healthy lifestyle in the present scenario. They are right but just 5% and 95% wrong. If we add Yoga in our routine then we can achieve the Healthy Lifestyle.

See below points wherein Yoga is helpful:

• We can't avoid breathing polluted air round the clock but we can do Pranayam (Breathing Control) to purify our lungs and can send more oxygen to our mind. 

• We have to eat the extracts of pesticides, fertilizers and impurities of water along with vegetables if we don't have access to organic vegetables either due to geographical or financial constraints. We can reduce the risk of being badly effecting by doing Shatkarmas (Inner Body Cleaning ).

• We can not switch your sitting jobs so easily but we can adopt a healthy Yoga routine of 30 minutes to deal with all the effects of such jobs i.e. Eyesight weakness, Migraine, Headache, Acidity, Indigestion, back pain, joints pain and obese. Asanas (Exercises) are one the solution for these problems.

By introducing all the three above mentioned Yoga categories into your routine for sure you will get a good health, sharp mind and peace guaranteed.

Asanas (Exercises)

Asanas* cover the exercises of stretching the body but not limited to stretching only. Below categorization of exercises along with their written explanation of techniques, benefits and precautions.

We have categorized them based on impacts on body parts:

Eyes: Jal Neti**, Dudh Neti*** and Ghrit Neti**** Nose: Jal Neti (Water Irrigation), Rubber Neti and Sutra Neti.

Throat: Dhauti and Vaman

Ears:

Eyes: Jal Neti** and Dudh Neti***

Brain: Pranayam****** and Variksh Asana***** **

Definitions:

* Jal Neti (Nasal Irrigation)
** Dudh Neti (Milk Irrigation)
*** Ghrit Neti (Separated Butter Irrigation)
****Pranayam (Life Force [Breath] Control)
*****Variksh Asana (Tree E

Pranayam (Breathing Control)

Pranayam means Breath Control. It doesn't have it's tangible benefits only but intangible too. In Pranayam there are many breathing techniques which help us to purify and strengthen our lungs, increase the volume of oxygen in our mind through blood and make us more active and attentive.

As per Yoga Pranayam is junction of two words of Sanskrit language. Prana (Life Force) and Yam (Control). So Pranayam meaning the control of the life force (Breath) which can lead to long life, healthy respiratory system and active mind.

There is a list of Pranayams:

1. Suryabhedi Pranayam:
2. Chanderbhedi Pranayam:
3. Kumbhak:
4. Bhastrika:
5. Sheetli

Shatkarmas ( Inner Body Cleaning )

Shatkarmas is process of cleaning the body from inside. Why we need to clean the body from inside? We daily intake harmful chemicals, toxins and pollutants through eating, drinking and inhaling. Same also gets generated inside our body due to some body dis-functions. Imagine a plate we use daily to ear our meals and but never washed! How healthy and hygienic would it be to eat in that plate? That will get infected with germs and bacteria and they will produce harmful chemicals. To avoid the infection and production of harmful chemical we prefer to wash our plate every single time. 

Our body also functions almost the same way. It observes all the nutrients and minerals from the water and food and leave all the unwanted chemicals and toxins there in our stomach. Though body though them out through urine and latrine but some particles keep stuck insides intestines and some get transmitted into our blood circulation. Similarly when we breather, our nose stop the dust and pollution particles in it and which leads to infection and allergy. It is really important to clean our body from inside more than from outside.

Below are some broad categories of Shatkarmas to cleansing our body form inside:

• Neti: It cleans the nose and all organs above shoulders (eyes, ears, nose and brain) remain healthy.
• Dhauti: It cleans the throat, food canal and stomach.
• Varisar: It cleans the intestines and purifies blood.
• Nauli: It cleans and strengthen intestines.
• Trataka: It cleanses the eyes.
• Kapal Bhati: It cleans brain, purifies lungs and blood.

Click on individual heading to know more in details about Shatkarmas and can watch the videos for proper guidance.