Benefits to Yoga

Yoga was a practice that originated over 5 millennia ago and it is still a thriving regime. You’ll come across few, if any, people who will deny the power of yoga on your mind and body. Yoga is a combination of basic meditation, controlled breathing and different bodily postures, but there are various forms. Whether you opt for Hatha Yoga or Ashtanga Yoga or any of the many different kinds of Yoga that have developed, there are numerous benefits to be obtained.

Yoga Benefit: Your Mind

Your body and mind are more intimately related than you may realize. What you do with your body can have a dynamic influence to the state of your mind, and yoga is a testimony to that relationship. One of the biggest ways in which yoga helps your psychological well being is by helping you ward off stress. It has a calming effect on your brain, which can help you avoid negative mental situations such as depression or anxiety. And that’s not all – it has a positive cognitive effect as well. Do you find yourself becoming forgetful or distracted? Yoga can help your memory and concentration skills. Ever have trouble sleeping? Yoga can help you relax before bed and peacefully fall sleep. If you’re leading a hectic lifestyle or looking for some clarity, you will be able to take away some much-needed relief from yoga, and greatly boost your mood in the process.

Yoga Benefit: Your Body

After going through that pain of twisting yourself into all sorts of positions (yoga postures), you would definitely want to see significant impact on your body too, right? Yoga has that covered too. A rather obvious benefit is increased flexibility. By disciplining your body to adopt different poses, you can let go of stiffness and by helping your body maintain proper posture, pain in your back, shoulder, or neck can be significantly alleviated or removed. Your muscles are also engaged during yoga, and therefore become stronger and more toned. It also speeds up and balances your metabolism and it becomes easier to lose and maintain weight. And that’s not the end of it; actually, the list goes on and on. Your respiratory system becomes better, so you can overcome problems with shortness of breath and stamina. You become more energized and active. Your immune system is strengthened and you’re less vulnerable to physical injuries. Your blood flow becomes smoother, your heart rate faster, and your blood pressure lower. In fact, it can even help your digestive system function better.

What once began in the Indian subcontinent during ancient times has now become a favorite all over the world. And the best part is, yoga is for everyone and anyone. There are no barriers of age, gender, shape, or fitness level. You can start out wherever you want and intensify your routine as you become comfortable. So, get some yoga pants and a mat, blast some Janelle Monae and ‘baby bend over, let me see you do that yoga’