5-8 min read
I have been a student of yoga for over a decade now, and I can undoubtedly say it has changed my life. Before yoga entered my life I was struggling physically, mentally and emotionally. Both my physical and mental health had always been on a tipping scale between disaster and prosperity.
I'm the last person to try and promote yoga. I am sure you’ve read it or heard about it before. Yoga this, yoga that. Some people may think it’s a practice for the athletically blessed — those who like to stand on their head instead of their feet. Some people consider the practice too slow and shiver from the mere thought of being still for 60 minutes. Then of course there’s probably a group somewhere in the middle yet to decide what to make of yoga and it’s benefits.
This six-week newsletter series, which highlights the five basic principles of yogic self-discipline, is designed to help you start and maintain your yoga practice. I’ll dive deep into the definitions, recommendations on how to practice these principles and what the latest research says about the observed health benefits.
Welcome to jump aboard the Yoga Lab Sweden Weekly Newsletter to learn more about yoga and be inspired to incorporate into your own health practice.
Before yoga entered my life, I was struggling physically, mentally and emotionally
Exercise was dreadful and painful — something to be avoided at all cost.
Throughout my teens and early twenties I, sadly, never understood the joy of physical movement. Exercise was dreadful and painful — something to be avoided at all cost. To me, running was the equivalent of self torture. Ball sports were scary and required way too much coordination. I tried it all: ball sports, horseback riding, dancing even ice hockey. But none of it appealed to me.
It took me a long time to come around to the idea of regular physical activity, but eventually I accepted it as part of my destiny. I reluctantly tried strength training and other group styles such as Grit, CrossFit or Spinning...and surprisingly discovered an unexpected appreciation for building muscles, increasing endurance and mastering weight lifting techniques! But still consistency eluded me; no matter how hard I worked at maintaining a consistent gym practice - months would go by without any exercise.
My mental health journey was following the same pattern and felt like a dizzying rollercoaster — one moment I'd be feeling balanced and content, next moment my stress levels would skyrocket. As the demands of work intensified, so did that wild ride. The pressure mounted until eventually reaching an unbearable peak. Feeling desperate yet determined to take control again, I sought out solutions far and wide in search of something - anything - to help me find balance and peace.
I wasn’t alone in facing mental health challenges. WHO reports that anxiety and depression increased by 25% globally in the first year of COVID-19. One in four people will experience mental illness in their lives, and currently more than 6% of the world’s population suffer from depression and anxiety. Many affected individuals are unable to access face-to-face care, governments spending an average of just over 2% of their health budgets on mental health.
Yoga and meditation came to my rescue
The greatest impact of yoga has been the combination of physical, mental, and emotional self-discipline that it fosters.
Yoga and meditation have proved to be life-changing for me – even though it took a few years before it became an integral part of my daily routine. It all started when I moved cities, which gave me greater access to yoga studios. Now years later, that habit has made all the difference in breaking free from unhealthy patterns and establishing lasting well-being.
Yoga works on you like an onion. Unpeeling each layer I discovered the myriad of benefits yoga had to offer physically and mentally. Within just a few weeks I experienced blissful freedom from muscle stiffness, while regular sessions kept my stress levels low, anxiety at bay and focus pinpointed.
After many years of practicing yoga, I have seen its benefits in numerous areas of my life, including physically, mentally, and spiritually. Yoga helps me cultivate a holistic approach to health rather than simply adhering to a weekly routine. Of course, I can have bad days still, but I never sink down to the depth of a depression valley. I find that the self-discipline taught through yoga is well rounded to fit all aspects of life. At least to me, it has literally saved my life over and over again.
Yoga as a prevention and treatment of noncommunicable diseases
Moving your body is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself. Regular physical activity is beneficial for both long-term and day-to-day health, including reducing risk factors for chronic diseases such as hypertension and obesity and improving mental clarity. Being active contributes to a feeling of wellbeing not just in the long-term, but also day by day.
Yoga, an ancient practice, has recently gained recognition for its scientifically-proven benefits. Research shows that regularly practicing yoga can lead to a variety of improvements in physical and mental wellbeing, including better sleep quality, a stronger immune system, increased cognitive abilities like memory recall, lower stress levels and reduced anxiety.
Yogic practice has one purpose: slow down or entirely prevent aging of the physical body
Yoga is a complete science self-discipline built upon the principles of simple living and high thinking
First things first, according to the ancient philosophers yoga has one purpose: slow down or entirely prevent aging of the physical body. Ancient yoga philosophy illustrates the life of a yogi as a triangle (see illustration 1). Birth is the first point of this life triangle. Its upward line represents the growth period; the top dot, youth; the downward line, decay. The last point is death, but the base line of the triangle is life hereafter, which ends in birth again. During our youthful period the body’s rate of cell rejuvenation exceeds or equals cell decay. It’s also referred to the "anabolic process”, it plateaus around the age of 18 or 20 years, but lasts until 30 years of age. The "catabolic process" begins to predominate at about 35 years of age. During this process the body machine essentially starts its decline, with the end result of old age and death.
The purpose of yoga is to slow down the decaying process and maintain a youthful state by preventing the breakdown of the body's tissues. Yogic practice improves balance and prevent the negative effects of stress on the mind and body. It's a holistic approach to our physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. Yoga is a practice that requires little effort but can bring great rewards in terms of knowledge, strength, and peace.
Illustration 1: The Yogic Triangle of Life (source: Swami Vishnudevananda)
The five principles of yogic self-discipline can be incorporated into everyone's own pattern of life
I have outlined the five basic principles of the yoga self-discipline. All of these principles can be easily incorporated into everyone's own pattern of life. These principles are listed below.
Physical movement increases the flow of nerve energy, builds strength and lubricates the soft tissues
Breathwork helps us to tap into the largest battery of stored energy in the body
Relaxation is the body’s opportunity to repair and regenerate itself
Food is the fuel that keeps us alive, yoga helps stimulate the digestive system
Meditation and deep philosophy keeps us focused and gives us purpose
Illustration 2: The Five Basic Principles of Yoga (source: Swami Vishnudevananda)
My journey of transformation through yoga has been key to my growth as an individual. Every day, I apply the five basic principles of yogic self-discipline in some way, realising that these principles don’t take a whole day or even an hour to practice, but small moments here and there - moments for which we can all make the time. This holistic approach to health and well-being have made me realise that I have always had the answer within me - it just took yoga for me to access it.
It is important to note that while yoga has many benefits, it is not a cure-all for all diseases and should not replace medical care. But by reducing anxiety and stress, and improving sleep and cognitive function, yoga can lead to increased happiness and self-awareness.
I invite you to start your own journey with yogic self-discipline
I invite you to start your own journey with yogic self-discipline and explore how it might bring balance into your life. It is a journey worth taking; one which might open up potentials you didn’t know existed within you.
In the coming five weeks I will dive deep into each principle and share perspectives from my own practice and reflections as well as relevant research papers from other practitioners and scientists. In the upcoming newsletters I will focus on the following areas per each principle;
1) hands-on guidance to practice
2) sharing self-observed and experienced health benefits
3) review research findings
Subscribers will also be able to access a video with a home-practice to each principle, to kick-start a yoga practice. Subscribe to our newsletter to be notified each time we release the newsletter.
Next week’s topic: Yogic Physical Movement
Next week's article will delve into the practice of yoga asanas and explore the reasons behind their slow, controlled movements. We'll also examine the physiological responses in the body and how they contribute to overall health and well-being.
Looking forward to digesting more Yoga topics with you next week. Until then, wishing you a lovely week ahead. Namaste!
We'd love to hear from you
We’d love to hear from you! Please leave comments and questions to us in the comments section. We will try to respond to each and every one personally. If you want us to write about certain topics, feel free to email us directly at info@yogalabsweden.com.
Main sources of references in this newsletter:
The complete illustrated book of yoga by Swami Vishnudevananda. Public Health Agency of Sweden. FASS. Yoga, Vetenskap och Fakta, By Sara Hoy. The complete book Yoga Book by James Hewitt. Conversations with ChatGPT.
In this article I have summarised the main health effects of yogic practice, which are suggested from research papers, books and avid practitioners in the industry. However it's worth noting that more research is needed to fully understand all the potential effects of this practice on the body. I invite researchers and scientists to contact me for research collaborations, to expand the scientific evidence of Yogic exercise and philosophy.
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