Over the last couple of years, there has been an upsurge in the popularity of yoga. To some, yoga is an ancient method of training with different difficult poses while to others it’s just another fad that they associate with new age mysticism. In a nutshell, yoga is a form of exercise that creates harmony between the body, mind, and spirit through meditating, controlled breathing and performing different postures.
You’ve probably heard, by now, about the wide array of benefits that yoga has to offer. Yoga, especially restorative yoga, will work physiological and physical wonders on your body. If you’re reading this, you’re most probably thinking about starting to practice yoga, or you have already tried it. For those who have already started practicing you must have noticed that it makes you feel so much better. Once you start practicing yoga, you discover a feeling of well-being that’ll get you addicted to yoga. But before we get started, you need to shop for the appropriate yoga attire from
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Why Practice Yoga?
Research has proven many benefits and as a result, medical professionals are vouching for it and recommend that people adopt this incredible practice. Most people do not realize just how beneficial yoga is.
Looking for a reason to try yoga? Well, we’ll give you more than just one reason on why you should get started already. Here are 15 evidence-based benefits of yoga.
1. Yoga Teaches Better Breathing
Most people do not give much thought to how they breathe. Practicing yoga will help you focus your attention on breathing and teach you how to take deeper breathes as opposed to taking shallow breaths. Proper breathing will help you clear your nasal passages especially if you suffer from allergies.
Almost all types of yoga incorporate breathing e
xercises that are aimed at improving lung function. Yogic breathing is referred to as Pranayama and is really helpful for people with lung disease or asthma.
2. Yoga Fosters Mental Calmness
Yoga uses meditation techniques to help you concentrate on the present. The disengagement from your thoughts shifts the balance from the sympathetic nervous system to the parasympathetic nervous system.
The parasympathetic nervous system is restorative and calm. This relaxation response results in lower breathing and heart rate, decreased blood pressure, and increased blood flow to various parts of the body.
3. Yoga Reduces Stress
Due to the high level of concentration that is required, one tends to forget their daily troubles during the time that they’re on the mat. Yoga places an emphasis on focusing on the present and not dwelling on your past or anticipating the future.
4. Yoga Relieves Anxiety
Research has shown that yoga can lead to a decrease in symptoms of anxiety. The main reason why most people begin practicing yoga is to deal with feelings of anxiety.
5. Yoga May Help Fight Depression
Several studies have shown that yoga has effects that are helpful in decreasing the symptoms of depression. The reason for this is because yoga causes a decrease in cortisol levels. This hormone influences levels of serotonin and neurotransmitter which are associated with depression.
6. Yoga Boosts the Immune System Functionality
Yoga and meditation boost the immune system whenever there’s a need to raise antibody levels in the case of an injury/infection or whenever there’s a need lower the antibody levels to avoid autoimmune diseases like psoriasis.
The lymph drains better when you practice yoga and this plays a major role in helping the lymphatic system to fight infection, dispose off waste products resulting from cellular function, and destroy cancerous cells.
7. Yoga Improves Blood Circulation
The relaxation exercises get your blood flowing, especially to the hands and feet. Yoga ups your heart rate into the aerobic range and increases endurance while improving the maximum uptake of oxygen by the red blood cells.
8. Yoga Improves Flexibility
Improved flexibility is the most obvious benefits of yoga. When you’re new to the practice, you’ll notice that you have difficulty touching your toes or doing a backbend. However, with time you will notice gradual loosening and the poses that you thought were impossible now become possible.
9. Yoga Improves Balance
Yoga poses where you stand on one leg or do inversions are a great way to build core strength that keeps you upright.
People with poor posture or bad movement patterns are advised to practice yoga to increase proprioception.
10. Yoga Increases Muscle Strength and Tone Definition
Strong muscles not only appeal to the eye but also protect us from conditions back pain and arthritis. Most of the yoga postures require that one bear their body weight and hold the position for longer periods to help build muscular strength.
11. Yoga Prevents Back and Joint Pain
Yoga helps to improve mobility and therefore lessens the load around joints. The increased strength resulting from practicing yoga prevents some types of back pain by reducing spinal compression and general tightness around the body.
12. Yoga Encourages Mindfulness
Yoga expands awareness of the self; one becomes mindful of their body, their thoughts, and emotions. As result, you become more connected to the community, the environment and the world around you.
The more selfaware you are, the easier it becomes for you to break free from emotions like hostility and anger. Meditation increases feelings of compassion by calming down the nervous system. The overall effect will be improved relationships.
13. Yoga Improves Self Confidence
You would be surprised by the number of people who suffer from chronic low self-esteem. These people are advised to take a positive approach and practice yoga with the intention of self-improvement.
Doing yoga will put you in better touch with your physical being. With time, you learn to accept your body without judging yourself too much.
14. Yoga Improves the Quality of Life
Recently, yoga has gained popularity in its use as an adjunct therapy to improve the quality of life. Yoga improves the quality of life by reducing symptoms in patients with different conditions. It also improves moods and reduces fatigue.
15. Yoga Promotes the Quality of Sleep
The stimulation resulting from practicing yoga provides a relief from the hustle and bustle of modern life. This means that you’ll be less stressed and will, therefore, be more likely to get some deep sleep. You will sleep longer and feel well-rested the next
