Latest news with #Traditional
News18
19-07-2025
- Health
- News18
Why Willpower Fails Against Digital Addiction—And How Yoga Can Help
Last Updated: Yoga offers a three-fold path to fight the digital onslaught: Adopting a Yogic outlook towards priorities and the meaning of life, practices of Yoga, and lifestyle changes You promise yourself you won't check your phone. But five minutes later, you're back to scrolling and checking for notifications. You realise your willpower is no match for the beast of digital addiction. 'The mind cannot be controlled by the mind. Willpower may work only for short durations—and that too, not always," says Yoga guru and scholar Dr N Ganesh Rao, founder of ACT (Authentic, Classical, Traditional) Yoga. In Yoga, stress is seen as the uncontrolled speed of the mind. Since the mind is made of the constantly shifting gunas or qualities—sattva, rajas, and tamas—its instability is natural. If the mind cannot be controlled by itself, what then is the way out? Dr Rao says Yoga offers a threefold path to fight the digital onslaught: 1. Adopting a Yogic outlook towards priorities and the meaning of life, 2. Practices of Yoga, and 3. Lifestyle changes Last week, we examined the dangers posed by digital media through a Yogic lens (read here). 'This already problematic mind, which by its very nature is diseased, is made even more disordered by the deluge of information," said Dr Rao. In this follow-up article, he details the tools Yoga offers to tackle the growing crisis. Here are edited excerpts from an interview. The mind can be advantageously controlled by a) Breathing Practices, and b) Developing Awareness. Through Breathing. There are two ways to do this: • When the mind is disturbed, simply witness your breathing — without interfering with it. Because mind and breathing are linked, any disturbance in the mind disturbs the breathing. Just watching the breathing helps eliminate the disturbance in breathing. When the breathing becomes normal, the mind also regains its calm. • The slower the breathing, the calmer the mind. A few minutes of daily Pranayama, done as slowly as possible—with gradual lengthening of inhalation and exhalation—can go a long way in calming the mind. Through Awareness. This is the most effective way to bring about samatvam (equanimity) in the mind. All Yogic practices, in fact, aim to develop awareness. All of us are wiser in retrospect—'I shouldn't have done that, or said that". The question is: where were you when you were doing or saying it? You're not aware! Awareness means knowing what you're doing—or what's happening within—as it happens. Adopting the sakshi bhav or the witnessing attitude — and, real-time witnessing. PRATYAHARA—TO TURN SENSES INWARDS Pratyahara is, in fact, a product of maturity and experiential wisdom rather than a particular practice. When we realise the external world is not ultimately fulfilling, we turn inward. This is Pratyahara, the beginning of the inward-going process. From living at the body-mind level, we are now on the path of energy and consciousness. Our sense organs are naturally externally oriented—eyes see outside, ears hear outside, nose smells outside, etc. This is why it's easy to get distracted by the external world. In Yoga, Pratyahara is the inward withdrawal of these five jnanendriyas (sense organs). It is the bridge between Bahiranga Yoga or 'Preparatory Yoga' (Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara) and Antaranga Yoga (Dharana, Dhyana, Samadhi). In Patanjali's Ashtanga Yoga, Samadhi is meditation. Two examples of Pratyahara: • Shanmukhi Mudra — where closing the six doors on the face 'symbolises' Pratyahara. • Pranayamic Pratyahara or Vayu Pratyahara (mentioned in Yoga Yagnavalkya)—where, in the Kumbhaka phase, the breath is held at vital points in the body. Meditation begins with restraining the tamasic (lethargic) and rajasic (restless) tendencies of the mind—thereby increasing its sattvic (concentration) nature. Once the mind attains concentration, we resort to either: • concentrative meditation — where you choose an object to visualise and focus upon, or • mindfulness meditation — where you observe the contents of the mind without reacting or responding. The goal of meditation is to reach the 'No-mind state' and finally to attain Reality, which is beyond the mind. Bahiranga Yoga (lifestyle) prepares the mind by making it free of distractions and disturbances. In Patanjali's Yoga, meditation begins with Dharana or concentration, develops into Dhyana and progresses to various states of Samadhi. During Dharana and Dhyana, the mind gets purified of its suppressions, repressions, conflicts, and conditionings. From being a normal mind, which is like a torch, it now becomes a laser beam. REDUCING RESTLESSNESS In Classical Yoga, Asanas are done as slowly as possible, which curbs restlessness and enhances concentration. Pranayama is the best antidote to stress and anxiety. Mantra japa is also an effective tool against restlessness and anxiety. Use these simple suggestions not just to counter digital urges but also lead a richer life. Could you: 1. Revive the joy of reading — by holding a real book and reading for just 15 minutes a day? 2. Replace passive screen time — with a physical activity like gardening, walking, or cleaning the house? 3. Pick up a sport like badminton or swimming — because sweating is one of the most effective antidotes to mental ill-health? 4. Participate in Nature — by going on treks, hikes, or long walks in jungles? 5. Engage with music — by learning to play an instrument or sing, rather than just listening passively? 6. Help someone else — instead of being addicted to oneself? When going through mental health issues, try helping someone else. Their 'thank you" can shift something inside you and your loneliness, depression often disappear. top videos View all 7. Seek out Satsang — the company of like-minded people? But don't just discuss issues; do things together. The author is a journalist, cancer survivor and certified yoga teacher. She can be reached at swatikamal@ The News18 Lifestyle section brings you the latest on health, fashion, travel, food, and culture — with wellness tips, celebrity style, travel inspiration, and recipes. Also Download the News18 App to stay updated! view comments Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: July 19, 2025, 10:19 IST News lifestyle YogMantra | Why Willpower Fails Against Digital Addiction—And How Yoga Can Help Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Wewa's Hatcher and Johns named state POTY and COTY
WEWAHITCHKA, Fla. (WMBB) – Wewahitchka's McKenzie Hatcher was named the Class 1A Florida Dairy Farmers Girls Weightlifter of the Year and Bobby Johns the Coach of the Year. Hatcher and Johns helped lead Wewa to its program's first team state championship in February. Wewa unveils weightlifting state championship banners Hatcher won gold in both the Traditional (Clean and Jerk) and Olympic (Snatch) events at the FHSAA State Championships. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Earnest becomes most decorated athlete in Bozeman history
SAND HILLS, Fla. (WMBB) – Bozeman senior weightlifter, Evan Earnest won two gold medals at the FHSAA State Championships, wrapping up his high school career with a school record three state titles. Earnest took gold in both the Olympic and Traditional events, following behind his gold medal in traditional in 2024. Earnest compiled a 520 lb. total for Olympic and a 640 lb. total for Traditional (bench press and clean and jerk) which was just shy of the state record he was aiming for. He says in a couple years his brother might come behind him and break his records. 'I think it's pretty cool,' Earnest said. 'I'm happy to be able to do that and hopefully inspire some people to also join weightlifting and do good at weightlifting. My little brother, Ethan is able to do the same thing. He's doing weightlifting along with me. So, you'll probably be interviewing him within the next couple of years.' Earnest says his next step after high school is most likely joining a USAW team in effort to reach national or world competition. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Walton's Doss sweeps at state championship meet
LAKELAND, Fla. (WMBB) – Walton senior weightlifter, Hoss Doss took first place in both the Olympic and Traditional events at the FHSAA Weightlifting State Championships. Doss had a 650 total for Traditional (Clean and Jerk and Bench Press) and a 545 total for Olympic (Snatch). Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
VOTE: The News-Press Athlete of the Week for April 7-12
VOTE: The News-Press Athlete of the Week for April 7-12 Each week during the school year, The News-Press selects athletes that stood out the week before based on a combination of coach reports and school nominations sent to sports@ and our coverage. Those athletes are put in a poll each Monday on and you, our readers, vote on who you think did it best. The winners of The News-Press Athlete of the Week poll receive a T-shirt provided by BSN Sports and a tote bag provided by USA Today High School Sports Awards. Voting ends at 10 a.m. Thursday each week. The winner will be announced on the @newspresssports Instagram page and on Twitter at @nphssports. Advertisement The winner of last week's poll was ECS softball player Anayeli Guzman. Previously: VOTE: The News-Press Athlete of the Week for March 31-April 5 TO VOTE IN THIS WEEK'S POLL SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM OR CLICK HERE Here are the nominees for April 7-12: Boys track David Monteilh, Fort Myers Monteilh took first place in the long jump and high jump at the LCAC Championships on Thursday. Girls track Christela Daniel, Riverdale Daniel won LCAC titles in the 100 and 200 dashes, setting PRs in both events, at Thursday's meet. Baseball Owen Kircher, South Fort Myers Kircher collected 7 hits in 11 at-bats, helping the Wolfpack to victories against Dunbar and Bonita Springs last week. He also stole two bases. Softball Amira Peterson, Fort Myers Peterson went 4-for-4 with two doubles and two home runs, driving in five runs to help lead the Green Wave to a 12-6 win against Cypress Lake on Wednesday. Flag football Taylin Beckman, Estero Beckman scored two overtime rushing touchdowns, including the game-winner in a four-overtime game against Riverdale on Tuesday. She also posted nine tackles, five for loss, two sacks and a pass breakup. Girls lacrosse Lily Lockard, Bishop Verot Lockard led the Vikings with seven goals and seven assists in a 22-1 win against Cypress Lake on Thursday. She also logged five caused turnovers and four ground balls. Boys tennis Michael Abreu, Oasis Abreu notched wins in singles and doubles to help the Sharks close the regular season with a 5-2 win against Mariner on Thursday. Boys Weightlifting Nick Bloomston, Fort Myers Bloomston won the Class 2A 139-pound Olympic state title with a lift of 460 and was the Traditional runner-up with with a lift of 535 pounds. Advertisement Justin Davis, Bishop Verot Davis won the Class A 183-pound Olympic state title with a total lift of 515 pounds and finished second in the Traditional lifts with 560 pounds. This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: VOTE: The News-Press Athlete of the Week for April 7-12
