Essentially, meditation is an integral part of yoga, which is usually done after the practice of yoga asanas. After doing yoga, the body is filled with vibrations and, in order to achieve a stable condition both mentally and physically, meditations are preferred after yoga sessions and asanas. Both are part of the Eight Members of the Patanjali Yoga Sutras. They work together to unite our little self with our higher spiritual being.
One cannot be present without the other. We have to be aware of the body in order to forget about it, in order to enter into meditation. We can say that yoga is the sum of best practices for being in a meditative state. At each step, it includes specific benefits and internal practices.
You can use these practices to make your daily life easier, to train your muscles, or to deepen your meditation practice. If you're not comfortable with meditation practices through yoga, you can always try different approaches and disciplines. Yoga's most important contribution is its emphasis on breathing and body awareness. Basic meditation in yoga is practiced in the lotus position, keeping your awareness in your breath, one of the most popular forms of meditation. Yoga meditation is associated with greater mindfulness and a better mood.
In one study, people who practiced yoga and meditation had better mental health, deeper spiritual well-being, and fewer depressive symptoms than people who didn't do these practices (Gaiswinkler, 201). Mindful yoga is a form or set of yoga poses that prepares the body and mind to practice meditation. Just as some postures prepare you for stretching and strength, there are others that give you the energy and set your mood to practice meditation. These mindful yoga poses are simple and help you slow your breathing, calm your mind, relax your body and increase your sense of awareness. Meditation helps to reach the bone marrow, to open the heart and to develop a more stable, balanced and calm mind.
Yoga was originally designed to support the practice of meditation, as it makes sitting practice more relaxed and balanced. It is said to purify and cleanse the body, calm the nervous system and balance hormones. In reality, yoga poses were designed to systematically prepare the body for meditation, although with much of the yoga available today, its relationship to meditation is rarely mentioned. Thus, we can say that practicing yama and niyamas in yoga allows us to know ourselves better through meditation, becoming a more authentic version of ourselves. If you've ever taken a yoga class, you may already know that the last pose is called savasana (pronounced “shavasana”), or corpse pose, in which you lie down quietly and relax on the mat.
Yoga instructor and author Jessamyn Stanley shows 10 simple adjustments you can make to some of the most common yoga poses. Practicing mindfulness and yoga seamlessly has many effects on physical and mental health and overall well-being. In a study comparing a group receiving cognitive-behavioral therapy, a control group, and a group doing Sahaja yoga meditation, the yoga meditation group significantly reduced their anxiety and depression. When practiced together, yoga and meditation strengthen the connection between mind and body, thus improving physical fitness and overall well-being. Studies suggest that practicing yoga leads to better eating habits by improving fitness and body awareness.
While there are some differences between yoga and mindfulness meditation in the Buddhist tradition, these two practices are undeniably synergistic and seemingly interchangeable. In fact, yoga and meditation are considered stress-reduction techniques that can influence the way we relate to mental and physical health problems, ultimately leading to less suffering. Whichever yoga style you choose, your instructor will guide you to observe your breathing and how your body moves during the poses. Let industry experts and world-renowned teachers guide you to a meditation and yoga practice that will change your life. You can try some basic yoga movements to get the blood flowing and then lie down for a 5-minute yoga meditation (outdoor, 202).
Yoga poses focus on stretching and lengthening muscles to increase flexibility and help you with daily movements, such as lifting objects and bending down. After doing your yoga moves or poses, you can practice yoga and meditation in a couple of different poses...
