Beauty czarina Shahnaz Husain, with her demanding schedule, whether at home or abroad, turns to Yoga every morning to reduce stress and fatigue
Yoga has been very much a part of my life and profession, because Ayurveda and Yoga are so closely connected. They both originated thousands of years ago, as a part of ancient Vedic knowledge. I promoted the Ayurvedic principles of holistic health, with yoga as an integral part of my individual ‘care and cure’ programme. This concept of holistic beauty care was unique and caught on worldwide.
Thanks to the efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, June 21st was declared International Yoga Day by the United Nations General Assembly. According to Yoga, the body is the temple of the soul. Indeed, this ancient discipline is a means of uniting body, mind and soul. It has become popular all over the world as the traditional path to physical, mental and spiritual good health. In fact, it has become very relevant to our modern lifestyle, as a means of attaining fitness, good health, freedom from stress and a well-balanced personality.
I have a demanding career, with hectic schedules. I have found Yoga to be an excellent way of relieving stress. The best thing about Yoga is that it does not need any equipment and can be done anywhere. I have been practicing Yoga every morning for a long time. I continue with it even when I am traveling abroad. One of the aspects which appeals to me is that it involves breath control and specifies the inhalation and exhalation of breath during the exercise. Thus, without any strain on the body, one can achieve an aerobic effect. I have found Yoga to be ideal for reducing stress, relieving fatigue, calming the mind and bringing about total relaxation.
I start by doing Prayanam, the yogic exercises for correct breathing, and then do the exercises. It helps to relax both body and mind. The ancient sages devised simple physical exercises to control the mind. They had observed that if you concentrate on an involuntary act like breathing, you could free the mind from its constant worry and 'chatter'. Ideally these exercises should be learnt from a qualified person, but you can try a few simple exercises at home.One of the advantages of Yoga is that it can be adjusted to suit age and personal capacity. The duration and frequency can be adjusted according to the flexibility and stamina of the individual. I have found that there is no fatigue after exercising. Instead, there is a feeling of physical and mental exhilaration.
It was Patanjali who first described the Eight limbs of Yoga, around 200 BC. Among the many yogic paths, which include meditation, it is Hatha Yoga, which is popularly practiced. It deals with physical exercises, entailing the assumption of postures, or “asanas”, as they are called. These are well-defined and have precise results. These asanas involve static positions and a particular pose is supposed to be held for a prescribed duration of time. During this time, the mind is also disciplined, as it concentrates on the particular parts of the body. At the same time, the muscles and nerves are also exercised. Yoga has become very much a part of my mornings, whether I am here, or traveling abroad. It is actually the ideal way of renewing oneself everyday. In fact, Gautama Buddha rightly said, “Each morning we are born again…..”