We’re living in the time and age where everything is advanced, right from technology to the cognitive capability of an average human. We’re on top of everything, be it administration, medicines/drugs, human anatomy, business, politics, music, art, culture and media. You name it and the world would have seen a remarkable development in that sphere.
Every individual today is powerful, where everyone is constantly consuming and disseminating information, learning and evolving. But, it is rightly said, with great power comes great responsibility. We might be growing professionally and technologically but we’re failing on a personal level. We’re failing to maintain a balance and that's why now more than ever, Yoga & Meditation becomes a crucial part of our lifestyle (if it's not, it should definitely be).
Why is Yoga, Meditation and Spirituality so important?
We’re internally disturbed and our minds are chaotic while we’re constantly trying to prove ourselves, resulting in negative emotions. The obvious outcomes of the same are dissatisfaction, self doubt, jealousy, competition, alienation, depression, stress, anxiety and insomnia. The list is endless.
Hence, we’re all moving towards a bigger goal, ie., spirituality and mental peace.
Even though they may sound intricate terms, you can’t deny observing the popularity that Buddhism, Yoga, Meditation, Self-Help and Lifestyle books have gained.
- Lower stress levels
- Better focus
- Better physical and mental health
- Weight loss and muscle strength
- Flexibility and posture
According to a survey conducted by ASSOCHAM Social Development Foundation, the number of people taking up Yoga, in 2016-17, shot up by 25-30 per cent in India.
Today, our country faces a shortage of about three lakh yoga instructors as against the requirement of over five lakhs yoga practitioners.
Meditation, on a similar note, has seen a considerable rise where you can see meditation centres and spiritual corners popping up in and around our very own Mumbai. However, Yoga and Meditation go hand in hand and are not quite independent from each other. Yoga, in other words, is nothing but moving meditation.
Another big change you would probably notice is the rise in psychiatry cases. According to a WHO report, 4.6 per cent of the Indians, accounting for 56 million people in the country, are fighting depression. Another 38 million are dealing with anxiety problems.
Isn’t the picture clear enough so far?
Well, there’s more to it. A study conducted by Confederation of Indian Industry concluded that 25 per cent of the Indians may die of lifestyle diseases before they are 70. And we have already seen how that may be true with the cases of Diabetes, Blood Pressure, Obesity, Arthritis, Psoriasis and even Cancer to some extent increasing in our very own vicinity.
No matter how productive or unproductive our lifestyle may be, it certainly isn’t a healthy one and the productivity won’t last very long if an unhealthy lifestyle prevails.
Wondering what I mean?
Here’s where we could be going wrong in our day-to-day lives
Work-life imbalance:
When was the last time you sat down to do nothing on your daily routine, or simply dust off that old guitar, diary or whatever it is that you love, even if it is for an hour?
We work all day and come back home to manage our chores, having little or no time to invest in ourselves.
Especially in a city like Mumbai, it’s all about work and no play. And even if there is some play, we are left exhausted and sleep deprived, which brings us to the next thing depicting a flawed lifestyle, Insomnia.
Insomnia:
We call ourselves nocturnal to make it look fancy that you stay up in the night to work, read or simply to binge-watch a Netflix series. But is that really a way of life you choose or you adapt to?
And sleeplessness or insomnia doesn’t only give you baggy eyes or a headache, but can really translate to some serious health issues which you might not even know you are developing.
Digital addiction:
Do you wake up panicking if you don’t find your phone around? I do!
Technology today is a habit more than assistance and you simply can’t do without it. And, no matter how much we may criticise the dependency, we’re ourselves consuming it day and night.
To some extent, we also know it is harmful for our mental and physical health, we choose to ignore the obvious. And then we meditate to calm our chaotic minds.
Failing Relationships:
With our lifestyle becoming more and more commercial and professional on a personal level, our expectations from our relationships are also changing. In a life where we’re constantly running with hardly any time to stop and breathe, we tend to ignore the most important aspects of our lives, people who matter to us. You may be respected and successful, but what would you do with all of this if you have no one to celebrate it with. Hence, depression has now become a serious concern and we try and overcome it in whatever way we can.
There is a reason why Yoga has gained so much importance in the last few years. With the rise in the outcome of lifestyle diseases, medicines and drugs are only going to make it worse. It is a widely practised organic method of cleansing our body off the toxic elements. It is a cure for migraine, asthma and many such health issues which are termed incurable otherwise.
Also, mental health is a topic people find difficult to talk about because of social prejudices. Hence, we choose a better and a more effective way to find that inner peace, which is meditation. It is always better to temporarily stimulate your mind body and soul to the sensation of recurring happiness than to pop in a sleeping pill on a sleepless night, waking up more dependent on a drug than our own brain.
But more than moving towards the alternative way of healing yourself, it is way more important to solve the problem itself. Yoga & Meditation may cure you but working towards building a healthy lifestyle is a given.
On the occasion of World Yoga Day, let's strive and achieve a healthier lifestyle going forward.
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