Yoga Tourism : The Best Way To a Healthy Life

December 22nd is seen as the International Yoga day.why is it given such importance? How can we link it with the tourism of India? This article tells you more about it…

What is Yoga?

The eight-limbed path of yoga includes:

YAMAS(moral codes)

NIYAMA(self-discipline), ASANA(postures),

PRANAYAMA(breath practices),

PRATYAHARA(sensory transcendence),

DHARANA(concentration),

DHYANA(meditation),

SAMADHI(state of bliss).

The word roots of Yoga is meant ‘to join’ which means joining the human mind and body. The Yoga philosophic studies suggest that every life forms are interconnected with each other. In Indian tradition, yoga is conceived as a pathway towards the attainment of joy in life, freedom from sorrows, mental balance and peace.

The motive of the entire yoga practice is to make the human mind and body capable of spiritual realisation. Ethical and moral principles constitute the foundation of yoga. There are two types of moral and ethical conditions: YAMA which again constitutes integrity, non-stealing, celibacy. treating others kindly and practising moderation and NIYAMA which includes individual observance required for practising yoga.

As the Patanjali Sutras notes: ‘Yoga is the practice of quieting the mind. Positive mental health is “a state of well being in which every individual realizes his or her abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and can contribute to his or her community.

Benefits of YOGA

Exploring the benefits of yoga is an extensive task, but some of the major benefits are :

1. Improves flexibility, balance and strength

Regular yoga practices can bring a change in your flexibility which is very essential in any kind of physical activities. Balance and strength includes both mental and physical aspects of life

2. Improves breathing

There are many problems associated with breathing and yoga can give you good results with the regular practice.

3. Promotes healthy eating habits

We have to have healthy food habits for a healthy body and yoga helps you to improve and practise healthy food habits.

4. Increases your life span

Every human being is very much considered about his or her life span so here is a solution for them with regular practice yoga can help us in keeping our youth ness within ourselves.

Linking yoga with tourism

People from all over the globe move towards India for Ayurveda, yoga and meditation in Rishikesh, Uttaranchal, which is practised for centuries. India quickly emerged as a health tourism destination because of them. From time immemorial, India has been identified for its spirituality, yoga and religious tolerance and its secular nature. India is called the “Yoga Bhoomi” and the gate of heaven. India is known throughout the world for its ancient curative practices and substitute therapies. Over thousands of years, we have to get our systems of indigenous medicinal and healing practices such as Ayurveda, naturopathy and pranic healing, to name a few. It is no wonder that people from around the world turn to the Indian subcontinent for orientation towards a more spiritually satisfying way of life.

Yoga tourism signifies a journey of knowledge and enlightenment merging the physical and spiritual. Through yoga tourism, the outer world of experiences may be woven together to create ‘narratives’ that metaphorically connect desires with understanding and the inner world of the spirit. Yoga tourism defines broadly four motivational factors for going to yoga vacation and they are:

(1) spirituality seeking

(2) enhancing mental well-being

(3) enhancing physical condition

(4)controlling negative emotions

There are four types of yogas tourists:

(1) Yoga lite :

The major aim is to learn simple yoga ‘asanas’ for
pleasure and to live from the rush; participate in a
yoga workshop with a non-Indian teacher; insulate
themselves from the material reality of India.

(2) Yoga traveller:

Yoga is not their sole reason to visit India;
sometimes struggled to learn yoga practice and skip
the class; lack of self-transformation and search for
authenticity; some of them become a practitioner later.

(3) Yoga practitioner:

The major aim is to learn yoga in greater depth; visit
India in search of inner quest and authenticity; keep
regular practice in the ashram. Some of them
become a professional later.

(4) Yoga professional:

The major aim is to receive the required authorization
to teach yoga in their own country; elite categories
of practitioners; multiple visits to India.

With proper planning and implementation, we can achieve in establishing yoga tourism in India more efficiently.