Yoga, the ancient practice of mental, physical, and spiritual mastery. Yoga has been around for thousands of years, and it is not going anywhere. Its health benefits are enormous, and have been proven endless times.
There are many styles of yoga being practiced today, with each type having its own glamour. From ashtanga and bikram yoga, to yin and hatha yoga. Other styles of yoga are: kundalini, vinyasa, iyengar, power, anusara, sivananda, restorative, prenatal, aerial, acro, mysre, jivamukti, and many more.
Styles vary, depending on individual preferences and needs. Some people choose one over another, others practice a mixture of a few. And there are people starting on a random basis. And the best part is, regardless of previous experience, anyone can do it.
The following are some of the amazing benefits of yoga:
Balance improvement
Practicing yoga can significantly improve your balance. It does by increasing the kinaesthesia (proprioception) of the body, or in other words the sense or awareness of the movement and position of your body parts. Certain poses help the body optimise balance, and this can particularly help people experiencing frequent falls or wobbles.
Decreases stress and anxiety
It is not a secret that yoga can help calm the mind, and as such, is often recommended for easing stress and anxiety. Yoga is also linked with helping people in depression. In addition, when combined with meditation, the tandem can do wonders.
Back and joints alleviation
Many people are affected by pain, whether coming from the joints, back, or the neck. Yoga can alleviate that, as it helps strengthen our muscles and overall body, as well as improves our posture – bad posture is often linked to muscle tension and back pain.
Better posture
Bad posture affects both on the outside as well as the inside. Muscle tension and back pain are commonly associated with an incorrect body posture. Conversely, a well exercised posture improves how we sit, stand, and walk. Yoga is a great way of correcting your body posture and keeping it healthy in the long run.
Increase in strength
Yoga is the perfect tool for building strength. It can be practiced alone, or in addition to any other exercising routine. There are poses requiring lighter strength for execution, which makes them perfect for beginners. And there are also poses that offer more muscle development, which of course comes with the trade-off of more muscle more difficulty, for people craving for building muscles and boosting endurance.
Better sleep
There are many reasons behind a poor sleeping pattern. From high blood pressure to exposure of too much blue light, and so on (more remedies for improving sleep here). Yoga is a wonderful way of dealing with sleep issues. It promotes better sleep by decreasing your stress as well as muscle tension, and calming your mind down. A combination of yoga and meditation can be even more efficient in improving your sleep routine.
More mental energy
As mentioned above, yoga can help calm the mind and reduce stress. Just like any machine after an overload (i.e. our daily life), the brain is drained and left with minimum energy. By practicing yoga, you not only restart your mental state and boost energy levels, but you also train it to focus and be more creative.
Improves mood
Stress, anxiety, tension, bad sleep, pain. All of these factors can contribute to a bad mood. With yoga, the body tackles many of those issues, as well as helping being overall healthier and getting into shape. Therefore, by practicing yoga, one can significantly improve the quality of life, and in turn improve his or her mood.
Healthy heart
Exercise equals health. In general, any type of exercising in your life can contribute to a healthier heart. Yoga is surely one of the winners. Practicing yoga can help with blood circulation, blood pressure, stress, cholesterol, and weight control – all of them have been linked to heart problems. Consequently, by practicing yoga the chance of a heart disease is reduced.
Improves breathing
Many yoga styles teach how to breath properly and the importance of it. Yoga, as well as meditation, both concentrate on controlling breathing through various techniques. Learning how to accurately breath, can help with your overall health. But it can also boost performance and endurance.
Flexibility boost
Most exercising routines add to the flexibility of your body, and yoga is also one of them. Just like any other physical exercising, the more you practice the stronger you become. Your body gradually learns how to have more strength and more flexibility. This is why when you consistently practice, you see more and more results after every session. Being flexible does not apply only to yoga or exercising, but also to your life. You learn how to improve endurance, which in turn optimises performance.
Weight control
Losing weight can be tough. Yoga is a great way of controlling your weight, as certain styles require higher input of physical strength. Intensive yoga can burn many calories and help maintain gaining additional weight.
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