The modern lifestyle is without a doubt very hectic and stressful. If mental stress is not addressed in the early stages, it will lead to health issues and sometimes even to a person committing suicide. Two of the most effective ways to mitigate stress are meditation and yoga. In this article, we’re going to discuss yoga vs meditation for anxiety relief. So, kindly read on to find out.

Meditation Benefits for Mind and Body

Meditation has been known to mankind since ancient times. It is well known for its ability to relieve stress and relax one’s mind and body. We shall now have a look at the major benefits that meditation bestows on one’s mind and body. 

Lowers one’s stress

Stress is inevitable in modern times, especially for people who work in offices 5 to 6 days a week. When one is stressed out, one becomes highly irritable and adopts either one of the two major responses which are fight or flight. 

In other words, one will vent out his built-up anger on the person or people who are causing him or her stress so that they may mellow down and behave more nicely or acceptably towards the victim, or a person will leave the stressful place and situation for some time at least until he or she is in a calmer frame of mind to tackle the problem. 

If one meditates regularly, one will always be in a calm frame of mind and tackle problems better. One will think calmly of solutions to problems and handle situations appropriately rather than getting angry at people or fleeing from tough situations. Meditation will make a person calm, mentally strong, and much more rational. 

Makes a person more productive 

Meditation as you all know is about focusing on one’s breath. Meditation if done regularly will make a person calm and thoughtlessly aware of his surroundings. If a person does not waste mental energy and time thinking angry, sad, or anxious thoughts and is thoughtlessly aware of his or her surroundings, that person will discover that he or she is much more focused on his or her work and is thereby much more efficient. This is vital because productivity is what every company demands of its employees. 

You’ll discover the joy of being present in the moment

The sad reality is that being present has become an abstract thing for most people today. In their daily routine, people just subconsciously rush from one task to the next without being present or feeling completely what they’re doing. 

When people wash their faces, they don’t feel the freshness of water on their faces and eyes. When people bathe, they don’t feel the freshness of water on their bodies. When people eat breakfast, they just hork it down without focusing for a moment on the taste of their breakfast, when people are stuck in traffic jams, they just get irritated without thinking for a moment to listen to some relaxing music or song. 

There are umpteen examples where people don’t focus enough on their activities in their daily lives. If you meditate regularly, you will not become irritable in any situation. Instead, you will just remain calm and think about solutions to problems or let fate take its course and be completely present in the present moment. People who are regularly completely calm and present know the joy and mental freeness of being that way. 

Helps you maintain a harmonious relationship with others

When you meditate regularly, you will not become irritable, angry, anxious, or upset in any situation. Instead, you will remain calm and talk to people calmly. This practice will maintain your good relationship with others, especially your loved ones, and guarantee their physical, monetary, and emotional support when you need it. 

Relationships are just like glass, once broken they cannot be mended completely. So, keep your calm in all situations and talk politely to people, especially your loved ones. You don’t want to lose your loved ones in life, do you?

Keeps you in a good mood all the time

A calm mind is the basis for all positive emotions and attitudes. One cannot experience any positive emotions like love, peace, joy, respect, etc. when one is not peaceful. Similarly, one cannot have any positive attitude toward others like kindness, compassion, tolerance, respect, understanding, cooperation, etcetera when one is mentally disturbed. 

Meditation will keep your mind calm all the time and let you tackle your problems with a positive attitude and outlook. Sometimes calm and loving people have even been known to make their enemies their friends. Meditation benefits are innumerable and invaluable. So, you must practice meditation every day. 

How Yoga Helps Anxiety 

Like meditation, Yoga also helps combat anxiety and stress. It bestows numerous health benefits to one’s mind and body. It is especially practiced in India as it originated there. Many proficient Yoga gurus in India teach advanced Yoga for a nominal fee or sometimes even free of charge. 

So, if you’re in India at any time, you must learn some asanas in Yoga. Practicing them will bestow numerous health benefits to one’s mind and body, some of which are described below. 

Yoga enhances your body’s strength, flexibility, and balance

Many asanas in Yoga involve deep breathing and slow body movements. This will relax your mind and improve your blood circulation. Many asanas in Yoga involve supporting your body weight on one or both your hands and legs. Thus doing Yoga regularly will strengthen your hands and legs, make your body more flexible, and make you a calm person over time. 

Yoga can alleviate back pain

Many asanas in Yoga involve twisting and stretching one’s back in many ways. Doing asanas regularly will twist and stretch your back muscles in such a way that the knot that is causing pain in your back will become relieved/undone and you will feel relaxed.  Even many prestigious US doctors and physicians recommend doing Yoga as the first choice for treating back pain. 

Yoga can ease the symptoms of Arthritis

Arthritis is an auto-immune disease that causes swelling of one’s knees and pain in them. If you want to know the causes, symptoms, and cure for Arthritis, kindly watch this educational video created by Yoga Institute, a renowned academy that teaches Yoga and Ayurveda to people in India for a nominal fee. 

As doing some Asanas in Yoga relaxes one’s muscles and makes them more flexible, the symptoms of Arthritis can be made less acute by practicing Yoga regularly. Arthritis is a severe auto-immune disease that affects 344 million people globally but unfortunately hasn’t received much medical attention to date. 

Yoga improves your heart’s health

As Yoga relaxes one’s body and mind and relieves stress indirectly, it can also improve the health of your heart indirectly. Stress is the primary factor that worsens one’s heart’s health and heightens the chances of incurring heart-related diseases. 

By doing Yoga and becoming stress-free, one can improve one’s heart’s health over time. Many asanas in Yoga involve deep breathing and slow body movements which make one relaxed and regularise one’s heartbeat thereby improving one’s heart’s health. Many heart diseases are characterized by irregular heartbeats.

Yoga can cure Insomnia

A relaxed body and mind will function properly and can fall asleep quite easily. Since many asanas in Yoga involve deep breathing and slow body movements, they can destress a person thereby curing Insomnia. About 10% of the world’s population suffers from Insomnia presently and Yoga is the need of the hour. 

Our Take 

Modern lifestyle is without a doubt immensely hectic and stressful. Working-class people who go to the office 5 or 6 days a week definitely need stress-busting techniques like yoga and meditation. 

Meditation benefits and Yoga benefits are innumerable and invaluable, the most prominent of which are relaxation of the mind and body and sharpening of one’s focus. A relaxed mind and body can also cure or reduce the severity of many ailments like insomnia, high BP, arthritis, back pain, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), headache, bipolar disorder, etc. One must practice Yoga and/or meditation regularly to maintain one’s calm, cognitive ability, and good health throughout one’s life. 

FAQs

• What are the five biggest obstacles to meditation?

The five biggest obstacles to meditation are disbelief in the practice, restlessness, hyperactivity, suicidal tendencies, and an evil character. 

• Is it necessary to take a bath before meditating? 

Taking a bath before doing meditation is not mandatory or vital but preferable and advantageous. When you take a bath, you clean your body of accumulated dirt and rejuvenate yourself with fresh water. The feeling of being clean and fresh will help you achieve a deeper and better quality meditation. 

• What are the prerequisites for meditation?

The prerequisites for meditation are: you must free your mind of all animosity and disbelief, you must open your mind and heart to receiving cosmic energy and blessings, and allocate some time to meditate every day. 

• What are the states of meditation?

The seven states of meditation are bodily sensations, awareness of surroundings and one’s breath, steady breathing and tranquility, the feeling of love and joy being intensified, becoming void of desires and pain, and realizing the non-duality of the soul and God.  

• Which is the largest meditation center in the world?

Kanha Shanthi Vanam meditation center in Hyderabad, Telangana, India is the largest meditation center in the world. It can accommodate up to 100,000 people at once. To take a virtual tour of the Kanha Shanthi Vanam meditation center, kindly watch this YouTube video created by the Heartfulness Institute for meditation.    

• What is the importance of Yoga in life?

Regular practice of yoga can help lose weight, relieve stress, improve immunity, and maintain a healthier lifestyle.

• What additional benefits does Yoga have over exercise?

Apart from strengthening one’s body through exercise, Yoga also helps relieve stress, improves one’s mental health, helps one relax, sharpens one’s focus, cures insomnia, and accelerates weight loss. 

• Who is the father of modern-day Yoga?

Mr. Patanjali is the father of modern-day Yoga.   

• How many types of Yoga are there?

The different types of Yoga in existence today are Hatha Yoga, Vinyasa Yoga, Iyengar Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga, Bikram Yoga, and Restorative Yoga. The art of Yoga was created by Lord Shiva who is considered an Adi Yogi (the first yogi). 

• Which is the largest Yoga institute in the world?

Ajarya Yoga Academy, in Rishikesh, India is the largest Yoga institute in the world. It has branches in more than 50 countries and has millions of pupils.