The word fitness/health stands for complete physical, mental and social well-being of the individuals. A pathetic and non-objectionable fact is we focus more towards physical well-being when talking about fitness leaving behind the other two.
Yoga
As an art of movement, yoga has its pitch deep in all three components of fitness which starts with basic positions of our daily routine starting from how to sleep, sit and stand to the high-level activities. Practising it in daily life will not only add years to life but also adds life to years. One of the classic examples is the Shavasana which is the most relaxed resting position which keeps all the joints of the body in a neutral position.
Benefits
There are a number of benefits in relation to each and every system of the body, to put it in a nutshell it improves the muscle elasticity and joint mobility, in turn, improves the flexibility of the body, improves circulation to all the organs of the body (specific posture and asana for each organ), also improves the overall mental well-being of the individual, if combined with meditation benefits are numerous. If people say they don't find time to do yoga, just following the basic suryanamaskar steps alone will prevent most of the health problems which may take some 10 to 20 minutes. It can be done at home no need to search for training centres to work. If people want to go to next levels then they can take the professional guidance.
The need of the hour
Being a movement specialist (physical therapist) it is my duty to stress on the importance of movements in all the three forms of disease-fighting i.e prevention, treatment and rehabilitation, where yoga is an ancient form of movement speciality with a tremendous role in all the three process. This is both for the purpose of physical and mental well-being, with the increase in the number of crime rates in the world today, only self-realisation and repentance will bring a happy and peaceful future. I felt it as the need of the hour since International yoga day falls on June 21. Let's practice yoga and start our journey towards fitness.