all about your health

AAt ASIPI we care about the health of all associates. That’s why we devised the ASIPIFIT program that includes classes weekly training functional/aerobic/spinning are available live and/or on demand on our channels digital, classes yoga, running/walking develop in person at our events (and soon virtual), podcasts of interviews with specialists in the field, among others activities. Our desire is to support the membership to get a state of general well-being generated by physical and mental care.

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Being Fit = Healthy = Execution of an exercise + specific diet + workout

Some healthy tips

To be FIT it is necessary to adopt a lifestyle that includes the following activities:

• Exercise daily or at least three times a week for at least one hour.

• Include variety in all meals and at least one food from each group (cereals, animal foods, and vegetables/fruits).

• Eat proper portions at each meal. Try to plan your meals six times a day and stick to smaller portions, rather than having three large meals throughout the day.

• Take care of your sleep. Getting adequate rest helps you stay active and workout more effectively.

• Stay hydrated.

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What is yoga? y Yoga was defined more than 2,000 years ago as “the state in which mental and emotional fluctuations have stilled.” This concept is found in “The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali”, a text that summarizes the teachings acquired during centuries of inner search, internal inquiry, and the verification of results through experimentation. Our associate and teacher, Francisco Pérez from Ecuador, teaches Kundalini Yoga classes to the members of our association and explains the purpose of this practice.

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We invite you to join, to seek your wellbeing, to be FIT, to seek balance… in short, to take care of yourself.

Yoga has a deep history and is much more complex than a series of physical postures. Yoga is actually one of the six philosophical systems of India, called Dársanas, which means “point of view”, it consists of several steps or stepping stones in its learning and the body is only a part of this path. There are different types of Yoga, such as Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Raja Yoga, Hatha Yoga and Kundalini Yoga. They all have differences in their methods, but ultimately they are different branches of the same tree and have the same purpose. And as my teacher used to say: ‘It doesn’t matter where you climb the mountain, but what you can see from the top of it’. In my personal case, I practice and teach Hatha and Kundalini Yoga, but each person must find the practice that best suits their needs and circumstances.

Yoga in general is made up of a series of universal principles and personal ways of acting that tend to lead to a balanced and respectful life with oneself and with the environment. Moreover, it uses various tools. The best known are the postures called asanas, which have specific purposes, the mantras or words that are repeated and generate specific vibrations, the mudras or hand postures, which regulate the flow of energy and finally, the management of breathing called pranayama, which is the basic source that connects all the other pieces of this incredible puzzle.

On the basis of carefully developed and experienced techniques, Yoga seeks to lead us to a deep concentration and if it is maintained for a while, it will help us to achieve the fundamental objective which is meditation.

Yoga is based on the verification of processes created thousands of years ago and not only on beliefs and can generate amazing effects in those who practice it, both in physical and mental health.

It is not a medicine, but it can have healing and preventive results. Without being a religion, it can connect you with your deepest self and lead you to a great spirituality. It is a mechanism where nothing is left to chance and it can help you find inner silence, equanimity, and calmness, if you fully understand it. In short, a procedure for the balance of your whole being.

This practice helps you get out of the domain of the mind, which can be your worst enemy when it is clouded. The mind in daily life and even more so under pressure, jumps from one place to another, from the past to the future, returning to the past in a matter of seconds. The wise Yogis of India thousands of years ago said that the mind can become “a crazy, drunken monkey stung by a scorpion.” Such a simple and yet profound description, but above all, surprising because, despite the passage of time, we continue struggling to get out of that same labyrinth. The important thing is that there are ways out, and Yoga is one of them, which with its techniques and teachings can take you to make a pause in the frenetic rhythm of your life, look deeper, begin to calm the crazy monkey of your mind and give you the opportunity to listen to your true self. All this while working on your health, your wellbeing, and the possibility of being absolutely present, in times when the world has become unstable and impatient.

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