Yoga: Stress-Busting Solution for Overall Fitness Yoga is fast emerging as a panacea for all illnesses. It has become a force to reckon with across the globe and is practiced on International Yoga Day not just in the country but also in various parts across the world, be it China or the U.S.A. Here’s a look into how has Yoga become so popular in such a short time. Its adaptation from classical Patanjali Yoga to suit modern day needs and practices has made it more loved than ever before. Today we see ever more varieties of Yoga- Artistic Yoga, Dynamic Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Dance Yoga and Suspension Yoga to name a few. Here various Yoga instructors have combined different forms of exercises along with modern beats, rhythms and forms. Originally, Yoga emerged from the treatise on Yoga by Sage Patanjali called ‘Yoga Sutras of Patanjali’. In this Bible of Yoga, he has discussed at length the eight limbs of Yoga or ‘Ashtanga Yoga’. Yama and Niyama are the first few disciplinary codes of conduct, which when practiced religiously, yield results and can make a practitioner perform Raja Yoga. Asana is simply a microscopic part of Yoga. There are various ways of attaining the sublime and the surreal- Yoga takes you towards that. But today’s scientific day and age asks for more- how can energy be viewed while doing Pranayama and meditation, some ask and doubt the real effects of Yoga. For such skeptics, Yoga is more of a form of exercise and a fad rather than a philosophy. Yoga tells us that there are seven Chakras in our system- Muladhara, Swadhishthaan, Manipura, Anahata, Vishuddhi, Agya and Sahasrara. Each of these Chakras is an energy point for the neighboring body parts and organs. While doing Yoga, these energy points are activated and heal us from within, from the core. Therefore its daily practice simply keeps us energized and mobile with an even blood flow in all parts, joints and nerve cells of the body. Yoga, as the word suggests, is actually a synonym for harmony- communion and oneness of the body, mind and soul. It is associated with a certain simplistic lifestyle, quite opposite to what the current materialist trend indicates- totally divorced from the idea of amassing huge amount of wealth or scurrying up the social ladder through huge fortune. It has more to do with qualities of the heart and intellect and a feeling of contentment, peace and hard work. This is why Yogic meditation is considered to be an end to all forms of stress and corporate drudgery. Yoga has also been adapted to suit modern times as these days even a short office Yoga workout is becoming popular. But is that really Yoga in its truest form or does that relegate itself to simple exercises to distress and energize the body? Some Yoga workouts even talk of performing a short Yoga workout with shoes and socks on in the closed doors of your workplace. Yoga, however, as preached by the sages and pundits was essentially a mark of respect to the ancestors who passed down this knowledge to the current generation and involved wearing loose clothes sans shoes. Little workouts for an office schedule can go a long way in assisting you and keeping you healthy in a fast-paced environment. So, if you are looking to reap quick benefits, here’s a short workout: Hold the ends of your chair and rotate your shoulders Sit on the side of a chair without a handle and hold the back of the chair and twist entirely Bend down and push your hands against the side of the office-table and stretch in Downward Dog Pose These are enough to keep your headache at bay and de-stress you on a busy working day