«Practice of Yoga brings a perfect balance in body and mind. It makes the body healthy to cooperate with the mind, so that steadiness, composure, and firmness are developed».
Geeta S. Iyengar (Yoga — a Gem for Women»)
Life of a modern woman is related to numerous concerns which she has around her, performing not only mother`s and spouse`s roles, creating warmth and cozy atmosphere, but also providing material well-being of her family upside with a man. A modern woman simultaneously makes career and takes care about her family and that brings to an enormous energy loss. This energy was given her by nature to fulfill female duties only, but an excessive burden, weighing heavily on her shoulders, can lead to permanent stresses and nervous exhaustion. The loss of inner harmony and health is an inevitable consequence of such state of things and such a lifestyle.
Nowadays many women tend to make a career keeping up with men; continuous result chasing, intentions to become some kind of a «successful business woman», ambitions to do themselves well having great money surplus. Ignorance is the only thing that keeps a woman in chains of false world outlook, guiding her to the life route far from a female one. The results come soon: different female-specific diseases, frequent headaches, menstrual disorders, conception problems and also an early menopause… If not to pull self together in time and not to come to your female nature back, then the consequences could be much more sorrowful. That is why the main woman`s helper (the alternative to which hardly exists in the modern world) turns out to be yoga!
Financial abilities let many «successful ladies» get cosmetic and rejuvenating treatment, buy expensive care products; and the modern «wellness»-industry allows to save youth. However, it needs to be remembered that beauty, especially bought for money, artificial and unnatural one, is non-lasting and requires constant maintaining. Also look at the health harm being brought by cosmetics! Beauty needs victims? The first victim will become your health. Don`t you see the evident choice? Health should always take the prior place because we won`t have a full value life being affected with diseases. Do you want to save blossoming complexion? Do yoga! The improvement of blood circulation will create all premises for the natural skin radiance without any ineffective cosmetic procedures, the effect of which will last not more than for a few days at its best.
Stop wearing high heels. Don`t torment your legs for a glamourous look. An insane fashion addiction and a physically inactive life style have done their work. Our time scourge is varicose veins, thrombophlebitis and other serious illnesses of the locomotor system. Yoga solves leg problems such as edemas and fatigue. For sure you are used to drinking coffee in order to wake up before a busy working day? Can`t get up early in the morning? Yoga can help here as well! Morning asana complex will grant lightness to your body, create an active mood, increase working capacity and, what`s more, level up disease and stress resistance of your organism. It`s the best alternative to artificial stimulators like coffee, tea and chocolate, isn`t it? By the way, you can cook some fruit cocktail or smoothie after morning yoga practicing and derive required day portion of cheerfulness!
Yoga practicing can regain health and inner harmony. Yoga is not only some physical exercises which keep you fit, give slimness and beauty. Asanas refine your body as well as your Spirit. Our body is a temple of the Spirit, that`s why we should respect it! Stresses make our muscles permanently tensed, and that brings negative effects to psychological and health level on the whole.
Yoga can help not only to save but to retrieve lost health, harmony and energy. Experience of this positive influence of yoga is comparable to no spa-treatment.
Do not forget about your feminine nature in a whirl of endless «important» deals! Believe me that the «importance» of some of them is really crucial only up to the moment when your health lets you down and stresses bring to nervous exhaustion. Start practicing yoga right now! Proceed with small complexes for beginners. Add some breathing exercises and purifying kriyas.
What does yoga give to a woman?
Yoga brings an invaluable benefit for a woman`s endocrine system because it promotes the hormone balance restoration. Yoga can improve endocrine glands functioning. There are about 60 hormones in a woman`s body, and an improper work of at least one of them is able to lead to the whole organism disbalance. Simultaneous and coordinated functioning of such organs as hypothalamus, hypophysis, adrenal glands, as well as gonads, pancreatic, thyroid, parathyroid and reproductive glands provides stable work of the endocrine system. When work and interconnection of the systems mentioned above is activated and tuned, it guarantees the wholesome influence on a menstrual cycle (especially if a cycle is an irregular one), on psycho-emotional condition (it brings you calmness and loss of emotional outburst), and lastly, it influences positively on the whole endocrine profile. Regular yoga practicing is especially useful in regard of a menstrual pain, it alleviates PMS symptoms. However, you should pay extra attention to the safety precautions on these special days for women, when the organism demands really respectful attitude. A woman by herself should display this care primarily; otherwise the body will give a sign in the form of an illness, showing that you need to stop and restore your energy and strength. Nowadays during their periods women tend to perform all the asanas they usually do on the ordinary days. Yet it`s much reasonably to refuse inverted asanas and asanas demanding tensed abdomen area. Only safe and static postures are admitted, while all the movements should be soft and slow. Yoga practicing should not prevent natural toxins purification of the organism. Don`t forget to correct your yoga at this time period.
In his or her life every human has four age periods. According to this periodization, which was created by ancient Greek philosopher Pythagoras, a human`s life, like every creation of nature and its inherent particle does, can be divided into 4 development stages: spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Pythagoras associated spring (forming period) with an age under 20, summer (youth) with an age from 20 to 40, autumn (strength blossoming) — from 40 to 60 years old and winter (fading) was referred to an age from 60 to 80. A human organism goes through some physical, mental and worldview changes in the frameworks of these periods. It turns out that during one incarnation a person goes through four absolutely different life stages when his or her energy, psyche and physiology are constantly transforming in order to correspond to the current life stage. All these changes lead to inner conflicts and a person spends a lot of energy to gain mind`s serenity and harmony again. These stages are equal for both men and women. However during transition periods women struggle more because of their natural sensitivity and keen perception. Let`s investigate how yoga can help a woman to get over life problems initiated by both physical and psycho-emotional troubles.
What does yoga give to a woman if it`s practiced at an under 20-age
Some important physical and mental organism`s changes happen in a young girl`s body which occur at the time of shifting from childhood to maturity (puberty). The processes promoting childbirth as a natural biological function begin in the body at the age from 10 to 15. These physiological processes are induced by the readiness of the woman's body for reproduction. Some difficulties in psycho-emotional sphere, caused by formation of a personal worldview and consciousness, emerge at this age, also named "awkward".
Inverted as well as forward-and back-bend asanas will be useful in this period. These types of asanas stimulate hypophysis and provide blood supply to the organs of abdominal cavity. Standing postures contribute body structure`s improvement and correct apparatus-system formation. Also yoga helps to control emotions and holds nervous system`s impulses back. Therefore any critical life moment may be faced without mental troubles and stress. Through practicing yogic moral principles you can lay the corner stone to the formation of a strong, morally steady person with settled convictions and an integral worldview.
What does yoga give to a woman at the age of 20-40?
Usually, in this period a woman «invites» to this world new souls aiming to get precious experience of material embodiment. Motherhood is one of main tasks in woman`s life.
Yoga practise is necessary before a conception for a complex health promotion and its preparation for such an important and responsible period. Also yoga plays the supportive role during a pregnancy and, of course, after the labour.
Being pregnant a woman had better attend special classes for the pregnant. Such classes are conducted in a peculiar «gentle» way, and the exercises are adapted to the specific requirements of woman`s organism.
An excellent book on this topic is spread at OUM.RU club. It`s called «Deliberate Pregnancy and Natural Parenthood». (Russian: Osoznannaya beremenost i estestvennoe roditelstvo)
You ought to practise yoga even before a conception to provide adequate thyroid gland`s fluid production. To do it you can perform such asanas: Shirshasana, Sarvangasana, Setu Bandha Sarvangasana, Janu Shirshasana. Also the practicing of Parvatasana, Suptavirasana, Upavistakonasana, Baddha Konasana and Supta Padangusthasana brings a beneficial effect. They contribute to the expansion of womb inner volume, provide proper blood circulation. If you practise pranayama, then, in addition to the effects mentioned above, you calm your nervous system down.
If you practise yoga while a pregnancy period, asanas can help to strengthen a womb. In this case you could go through the labour without risks.
Shavasana and Ujjayi Pranayama are especially useful during the postpartum period.
What does yoga give to a woman at a mature age?
Yoga is considered to be very useful for those who are over the age of 40. At this age in the woman`s organism the recovery processes speed reduces, and some illnesses starting «to stick» again and again. Yoga encourages the energy flow and then holds it filling you with life strength. It launches the stimulation of a harmonious visceral organs work providing their proper functionality. By this way yoga could not only help to prevent «insidious» illnesses but also to contribute to a faster recovery in a natural way without «stuffing» your body with remedies. It`s known that medication relieves the symptoms only but not cures the real cause. In case you need taking a painkiller in an extra situation ;) yoga will ease hard health influencing side-effects which happen sometimes.
The process of ovarian failure begins in this period. Both physical and psyche-emotional disorders take place… Yoga can stabilise physical and soul consistency. Asanas practicing soothes the nervous system and brings balance and harmony.
Benefits for women above 60?
Yoga also helps at this troublesome period of woman`s life. In particular, yoga practicing promotes «withdrawing» of a climax beginning and gets the uncomfortable symptoms down.
During the menopause it`s better to perform asanas which can alleviate this condition. For details look through the book by Swami Muktananda called «Nawa Yogini tantra» (Yoga for women).
Practicing yoga at a senior age a woman can, firstly, decrease risks of old age illnesses «influx», as it was already mentioned. Secondly, yoga helps to perceive an approachable body-leaving moment with adequacy, bringing an understanding that death is just a transition to a new life. A woman could get clear consciousness and acceptance of her lain behind life way with all its joy and bitterness, and the understanding that it was necessary and precious life experience for her spiritual enhancement.
Moral and ethical yoga principles
Yoga could bring various advantages on a health, physical and physiological level. However, don`t forget that before you start practicing, you should become familiar with moral commandments and ethical limitations concerning a human and the environment around him. And what`s rather preferably – keep up these commandments. Let`s talk about «Yama» principles formulated in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. Basically, Yama is the first seed of yoga.
Particularly, it concerns the way you eat. The transition to the meatless vegetarian diet will let not to infringe the first «Yama» principle «Ahimsa» (harmless life, nonviolence). Also think about harm which we bring to our organism trying to «adorn» our look. Firstly, it concerns cosmetics, the detrimental influence of which is doubtlessly known to you. However, the custom to correspond to some socially accepted standards and prejudices obstruct us to refuse all make-up, hair dyeing and other useless cosmetic procedures categorically, notwithstanding it is the violation of the main moral principle! Moreover, it`s not so difficult to reject wearing leather and fur clothes (just think, all these animals wanted to live, but were killed to provide you with jackets, bags, boots and fir-coats).
It`s also a very common custom among women to pull their acquaintance to pieces. Remember: it doesn`t matter if you do it in thoughts or in a friend`s company, every thought that you`re creating will foremost strike down yourselves. Everything that we radiate into the world comes back to us. So, always have in mind that each piece of critic aimed to somebody reveals only your minuses. In other people we see only what we have inside. Don`t create mean emotions and feelings, don`t spread these vices further. Foster nice thoughts, speak about positive person`s qualities and, if it`s possible, just remain silent.
Also avoid lying. By cheating others you cheat yourself. Don`t offend the second moral principle called «Satya». The «Brahmacharya» principle teaches to limit sense pleasures. Nowadays it`s really a top-of-the-agenda rule in the world full of free relationship propaganda. As far as possible try to avoid immorality and sense pleasures, and control your desires. A consumer life style leads to an unreasonable and excessive tendency to acquire more things (as a rule, further they turn out to be unnecessary). «Aparigraha» could open shopping lovers` eyes. Spending time for sales and boutiques is a fussy and useless thing because everything you ought to have you will have! Other extra things just spend your energy. «Asteya» principle advises to envy no person.
Follow «Niyama» principles. Keep up «Shaucha»: wear clean and tidy cloths, have light and serene thoughts. Practise patience and self-discipline («Tapas»), accept the world as it is, develop conscious acceptance and satisfaction of all that you have («Santosha»). Read ancient Vedic scriptures, cultivate proper world perception («Swadhyaya»), and don`t forget to share knowledge with other people and devote your yoga practise for the benefit of all living creatures («Ishwara Pranidhana»).
Nowadays women have different roles according to the aims and tasks of their spirits and karmic «engagement» to this world. You can realise yourself in a family as a mother or a wife. In this case a woman chooses to serve a husband and children. However, you may choose not to limit yourself by a family only and gain such a spiritual realisation level, that the whole world will become your family. Thus, a woman will direct her energy to help others for the benefit of all living creatures.
P. S.
Remember, that you`ve already have everything that you need for happiness and you shouldn`t look for it outside. It’s always inside you whatever outer circumstances surround you…
Yoga is a robust way to live! Practise yoga, increase your consciousness level! Yoga is your rout to the healthy and balanced existence!
I wish you success on the Way!
Author of the article Kuznetsova Yulia