The Five Points of Yoga

In the Sivananda lineage of yoga they teach that there are five points of yoga. These are the five components you need to function at your prime.

1. Proper Breathing

2. Proper Nutrition

3. Proper Exercise

4. Proper Relaxation

5. Positive Thinking and Meditation

If you had to create a pie chart with these five elements, what would your chart look like? How do you balance your five points? What do you need to focus on more? Is there anything you should focus on less? 

Try it out by drawing a circle and thinking about your lifestyle and the amount of energy/time you spend on each of the five points. If everything was in balance it should take up twenty percent of the pie chart and you can take it from there. If your nutrition is completely balanced then it should take up 20%. If you don’t pay attention to it at all then it would be missing from the chart. Watching TV or listening to music generally doesn’t count as relaxing because your mind is still active. How often do you completely relax without any distraction at all? Even if you don’t make a chart, just reflect on how to incorporate these five components into your lifestyle and how it would improve your life.

How can you incorporate a breathing practice, healthy eating, a little exercise, positive thinking or meditation, and deep relaxation into your daily routine? Try to just think of one simple thing you could do in each category. If the thought of making these changes makes you feel overwhelmed, just start with one change in one category and once that becomes a regular habit you can add another!