Originating over 10,000 years ago and practiced by millions of people over the world, Yoga has many health benefits both mental and physical and why so many people find they need it in their lives every day.
If you need persuasion read on
YOGA HELPS US TO BREATHE BETTER.
Pranayama, yogic breathing, works on controlling our breathing whereby the breathing speed is reduced. It involves deep breathes with long pauses and slow exhalation. Breathing in this way increases the amount of oxygen in the body, which triggers our body’s relaxation response and enhances our lung capacity and endurance abilities.
YOGA IMPROVES OUR CIRCULATION AND STRENGTHENS THE HEART.
Practicing certain poses in yoga can help improve blood circulation and helps move oxygenated blood cells more efficiently through the body. Even gentle, calm yoga can strengthen the heart by lowering our resting heart rate and increasing oxygen uptake and endurance during exercise.
YOGA HELP US TO BECOME STRONGER.
Yoga poses help us to use every muscle in the body. This helps increase muscle strength and can also improve our bodies resilience. It helps to strengthen the core and enhances endurance which mean we can carry out other strength training and sports with higher intensity.
YOGA IMPROVES OUR FLEXIBILITY.
Many yoga postures stretch body parts in ways that increase our muscles flexibility and tone. These poses also strengthen our joints and increase the body’s range of movement. These poses also help to improve our body alignment because they strengthen muscles and stretch ligaments in a way that helps relieve back, neck, joint, and muscular problems. Daily stretching increases muscle flexibility, mobility, and control.
YOGA HELPS TO MANAGE PAIN.
Studies have shown that yoga poses combined with meditation can reduce pain for people who suffer from cancer, multiple sclerosis, auto-immune diseases, hypertension, arthritis, back and neck pain, and emotional pain too. This happens by stretching out and strengthening the muscles, lubricating joints and improving alignment.
YOGA PROMOTES INNER PEACE.
Yoga’s meditative quality can help us to reach a deep spiritual level. Many people who practice yoga regularly say that the feeling of inner peace is the reason that yoga has become a vital part of their daily lives. Yoga provides relief from stress as well as pain, which are things that cloud our judgment and moods every day. The poses strengthen the nervous system, which leads to more self-awareness and connection between the mind and the body. This relief from stress, pain, improved breathing, and connectivity with the body can also decrease anxiety, depression, fear, and other emotional mood disorders.
YOGA HELPS US TO BE IN THE PRESENT.
Yoga helps us become more aware of ourselves and help connect between the mind and the body. Focusing on our breath and muscles helps us focus on the present. This helps improve our concentration, coordination, reaction time and even our memory.
YOGA CAN RELIEVE STRESS.
Yoga encourages relaxation and helps lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Stress reduction is related to the lowering of blood pressure and our heart rate, improvement in digestion and boosting of our immune system. It is also a vital ingredient in easing symptoms of anxiety, fatigue, asthma and insomnia. The tools we learn to use in yoga help quieten the mind and reduce the stress we feel.
YOGA GIVES US A HEALTHIER BODY.
Yoga helps lubricate our joints, tendons and ligaments. It cleanses the body through some poses and breathing techniques, leaving the body feeling healthy and refreshed. Due to stress reduction, improved breathing and lowered blood pressure, yoga also has an anti-aging effect. It promotes elasticity in the spine, helps strengthen muscles and is thought to remove toxins helping us feel and look younger.
YOGA HELPS US TO MANAGE OUR WEIGHT.
With practicing yoga comes natural weight loss. Yoga helps us to lose excess fat from the body. Practicing yoga increases metabolism and helps us to lose weight by reducing stress and burning more calories even while we sleep. Yoga also encourages healthier eating habits and mental health. This reduction of stress and greater self awareness decreases a tendency towards emotional and stress related eating. It raises awareness of our body’s needs and makes us more likely to only eat as much as our body requires and reduces the times we may eat from boredom or emotional pain.