If the body is stiff and the mind is rigid, what life can one live? The practice of yoga is to remove weeds from the body so that a garden can grow. Yoga stretches and strengthens the mind, body and spirit. No wonder yoga is the top choice for people living healthy lifestyles.

In Bangladesh, the number of yoga teachers and studios offering yoga has increased tremendously. People are becoming more health conscious. Youths want active lives rather than sedentary lives that lead to back problems, depression and diabetes. Increasingly corporates are offering yoga classes to improve team performance and schools are offering yoga classes to increase concentration span of children. The rise in popularity of yoga probably represents a general shift in attitude towards more conscientious living.

There are many proven benefits of yoga such as stress relief, calming of the nerves, increased strength and flexibility, enhanced creativity, higher immunity and improved confidence. Yoga improves mental, psychological and physical health. It helps concentration, circulation and respiration. Yoga therapy helps the body heal from illnesses, disease and injury. Yoga offers practitioners a deeper understanding of self.

There are three levels of quest through yoga. The external quest is for firmness of body. The internal quest is for steadiness of intelligence. The innermost quest is for benevolence of spirit. In yoga, each pose should be held in a state of calm bliss. Each movement should be an art. Awareness should be distributed across the body so every pore of the skin becomes an eye.

Shazia is a yoga trainer. E-mail: [email protected]