By Lia Reichmann, AsAmNews Staff Writer
Aya studied yoga and attended various seminars around the world in her early twenties in an effort to become healthier. Despite starting a “detox retreat business” and spending lots of money and time on learning about health regimens, Aya’s health still declined.
She describes herself as “obsessed” with diet and health regimens before meeting Yogmata Keiko Aikawa, a meditation expert, who taught her yoga and meditation. Since then, Aya has become “significantly healthier.”
“When people think of yoga, they generally think of physical asana poses, but I teach yoga holistically, especially inner yoga,” Yogmata said.
Now in her 50s working for an IT company, Aya recalls that the first time she met Yogmata Keiko Aikawa she “felt so relieved and full of peace within.” Before learning her teachings, Aya was “always drained of energy”, since then she says she is “able to do everything with ease, power and speed.”
“The effects of years of spending money and time attending various seminars were realized in a fraction of a second, saving me a lot of time for realizing myself,” Aya said.
The health benefits Aya noticed after practicing meditation may have some truth to them. According to a recent study published in General Psychiatry, regular and continuous meditation may help regulate gut health, potentially boosting physical and mental health.
Researchers think meditation may play a positive impact in preventing or treating psychosomatic illness and “definitely merits further research.”
“I see people who meditate and experience that the whole body functions better when the mind is eliminated,” Yogmata said. “By zeroing in, life works, recharges and heals better and any damage is repaired.”
Yogmata, like Aya, first became health-conscious as a young woman and it led her down a spiritual journey where she encountered meditation in her late thirties. Yogmata teaches others how to meditate and guides them through practices.
She thinks studies like the recent one, will make the “benefits of meditation easier to understand” and encourage people to try it out.
“Humanity is trying to improve itself by inventing various medicines, but creating a better environment in a natural way, increasing vitality and immunity, is the right way for humanity to cope, and will be the salvation for the future,” Yogmata said. “The studies on the positive effects of meditation on the [body’s health] ecosystems…are a source of hope for mankind.”
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