The Importance of Yogasanas & Pranayama

The book I'm currently reading is Yogasana & Pranayam For Health by Dr P.D. Sharma. Here is a brief summary of what yogasana is and the benefits of it.

Yogasanas are simple actions for keeping the internal & external parts of the body in good health. The body & mind are closely interrelated so both should be taken care of. There are 7 ways in which daily waste produced by the body through physical activity & functioning of the digestive system can be eliminated through: both nostrils; eyes; ears; mouth; anus & genitals and the skin. Many diseases are the result of the absence of sufficient and regular elimination of waste matter such as urine and stool from the body. Yogic exercises help the process of elimination of waste matter from the body and keep the body in perfectly sound health.

Yogasanas have a preference over other systems of physical exercises due to the following reasons:

1. In other physical exercises, the internal organs of the body do not get proper exercise, while yogasanas give sufficient exercise to the internal organs of the body.

2. Yogasanas have a greater impact on the mind & senses than other physical exercise, with the result that yogasans help to develop one's physical & mental powers to calm the mind & control the senses.

3. It eliminates waste toxins from the body. As a result, it has more resistance power to keep disease away.

4. The body becomes flexible by yogasanas which makes one more active.

5. Blood in different blood vessels is purified through different yogasanas.

6. The power of contraction & expansion of lungs is increased by practicing yogasanas & pranayama. This leads in the purification of blood to a great extent.

7. Life span, youth & health depend upon the flexibility of the spinal cord. Yogasanas keep the spinal cord flexible.

8. Yogasanas help the mind to experience tranquillity. There is a progressive intellectual development because of the calm mind.

9. They stimulate different glands of the body. These stimulated glands produce secretions in proper proportion, which having mixed with the blood helps the body to acquire a well balanced growth.

10. Diseases such as constipation, gas trouble, diabetes, blood pressure, hernia, headache etc...can be cured by practicing yogasanas & pranayam.

11. Yogasanas make possible not only physical & mental development but also intellectual & spiritual development.