10 Reasons Why You Should “Go To the Mattresses” (or a Mat) Today

When Clemenza said in in the famous Hollywood movie God Father about “going to the mattresses”, he was actually referring to protracted fight in the very near future. Well, we are not going to any war. Not literally. But we might talk about something which needs to be done on war-footing here. Something which should be done today. We are talking about getting on the Mat (read yoga-mat) and including yoga in your fitness routine. If you have any, that is. And if you don’t have anything that revolves around the word fitness, Yoga is something you should start right away. And let me give you 10 solid reasons to stop procrastinating and start practicing yoga straightaway.

1)                  Its beats stress - The monster called stress is all around us. Unfortunately, age is no bar for stress today.  While any other form of physical exercise can impact your physique, nothing other than yoga will have the desired impact on stress.

2)                  It goes beyond your body – Yoga focuses on wholesome well-being. So while it prepares your body for an illness-free life, it also gradually develops inner healthiness and emotional endurance.

3)                  It works inside-out- Most of the therapies that are popular today work from outside. When you pop a tablet for that constipation or thyroid or blood pressure, it gives a temporary solution. It subsides the pain immediately giving an assumption for instant relief but do not necessarily work on the cause of that pain. Yoga, on the other, works directly on the root-cause thereby curing it completely.

4)                  It increases physical awareness- Different poses of yoga work of different muscles in your body. When you work on a particular muscle, it increases awareness about it. This awareness not only challenges you to expand your physical capabilities but also generates respect for your own body.

5)                  It increases stability and coordination- Since Yoga enhances awareness about your body,  it also helps in amplifying stability and coordination. This in turn leads to global dexterity. And that multi-tasking that you only wished you could do becomes easy for you.

6)                  It enhances concentration and focus- With a new-found equilibrium in your body, you realize that your concentration and focus has also multiplied manifold. The distraction that hampers your productivity slowly decreases thereby making space for more and more meaningful throughput.

7)                  It boosts confidence- An illness-free body and a relaxed mind result in increased levels of efficiency. And this new sense of accomplishments boosts your confidence. It becomes a way of life to achieve better results every time in whatever you do.

8)                  It teaches compassion- Yoga derives its teachings from environment and other living beings. When you practice Yoga, you feel connected to the ecosystem. This connection develops compassion and consideration towards your surroundings. And a World torn by war and violence can certainly benefit from some compassion from its inhabitants.

9)                  It synchronizes mind and body- Meditation, concentration and focus give you control over your mind and you learn to tame your thoughts to a large extent. You realize that you are able to push away negative thoughts and open your mind to positive energy. With a positive mind, you are able to train your body to work in tandem with your thoughts. This synchronization is the key to overtaking many challenges.

10)              It is a legacy – Yoga is a knowledge that you could pass on to your friends and family. While physical aspects help your body only, the knowledge is invaluable for all those around you. So you pass on the legacy of well-being and health.

Now that you have more than one reason to go to the mat, what’s stopping you from bringing in the goodness of Yoga into your life. On this International Yoga Day, bring the goodness of Yoga into your lives and benefit from its multi-dimensional values. 

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