Dating back to roughly 3000 years ago, the art of yoga is now used for most applications in the modern world we live in today from increasing body strength to posture and spirituality. Let’s take a look at what makes this activity beneficial to not only our bodies but our mind, and soul.
- Improves your overall flexibility limits
If you’ve noticed, most yoga poses tend to be eccentric featuring a range of different dynamic moves. At one point, you probably thought ‘I can’t go this low’ or ‘how is that possible!’. Thoughts like these have crossed the minds of many. However, rest assured performing moves such as the seated forward bend, downward-facing dog, or standing forward fold helps raise your mobility. In time, moves that seemed difficult will be part of your arsenal thus furthering your skill.
Sore back, neck, and aches are associated with bad posture and rounded shoulders. This is brought about by spending long hours seated, anxiety, or even sleeping in bad form. Yoga helps improve your body posture by aligning your bones stretching your muscle fibers. This will alleviate any aches and pains experienced while increasing mobility and flexibility. Practice in a suitable place away from any hindrances such as glass, utensils, and walls. Outdoors is your best option least you accidentally activate your glass break sensor with a nudge from your bottom.
- Reduces your stress level
According to the National Institute of Health Archives, yoga has been known to feature a myriad of tremendous therapeutic benefits to your mental state. Yoga aids relief to the mind of all thoughts and pressure. When you strike a pose, you feel relaxed, calm, and clear. The feeling of ‘oneness’ is a well-known attribute of yoga.
Our stress level manifests itself in different forms which include back pain, headaches, mental blocks, and loss of concentration. However, yoga is a very effective means of alleviating high levels of tension and stress in the body. This is due to the incorporation of meditation, slow timed breathing patterns, and open posture. This opens a channel for adequate oxygen flow throughout the body. This means you’ll have a horned sense of alertness, increased focus, rejuvenated mind, and sober thoughts. Deep breathing techniques cause you to concentrate on breathing effectively; clearing your mind with a sense of tranquility.
- Improves your physique and strength
Surprisingly enough, yoga does help define a well-toned body. It focuses on elongated movements and stretches. These techniques and drills effectively allow more blood to flow through your body while stretching your muscle fibers. Muscles under stress tear down to create room for the development of newer stronger fibers. Utilizing your body weight further increases the amount of tension applied in stretches which boosts the amount of muscle mass gain in the long run.
Those seen to enroll in a long term yoga session such as the 12-week Hatha yoga program witnessed an increase in mass according to the US National Library of Medicine. The research carried out by a team of scientists, recorded that the program had several physical benefits such as:
- Improved breathing
- Increased body tone
- Good heart and circulation
- Improved vitality and glowing skin
Aside from that, participants also experienced a gain in stamina and energy levels to their athletic performance.
- Improves weight loss
Strange as it sounds, yoga is known to facilitate weight loss. Individuals who have stuck to a yoga program undergo gradual weight loss throughout the entirety of the session. Like most cardio exercises, yoga enhances your heart rate. High-level intensity sessions or intermediate poses activate your body’s metabolism rate.
Your metabolism determines how much fat you burn throughout your day. Yoga works on the whole body with intricate precision. Regions like abdominals, back, arm, thighs, and glutes are effectively worked on. Combining yoga with an active diet will not only facilitate a higher fat loss rate but it also improves your health and quality of life. Ensure to stay hydrated and warm up your body ligaments and muscles before your practice. Stick to a regime and watch the results manifest in time.
- Improves your quality of sleep
When it’s time to hit the sack, you’ll soon be on your way aboard the dream train. Yoga helps relax your muscles and mind, especially when done hours before bedtime. Chances are when you’re done with your session; you’ll have fewer things to worry about. This makes it easier to enter a subconscious state of relaxation and soon after sleep occurs naturally.
Research carried out by Harvard Medicinal School has proven that yoga can treat persons afflicted by chronic insomnia or irregular sleeping patterns. These individuals were noted to experience a significant difference in their sleeping habits.
Final Thought
The benefits of yoga are immense; adding it into your schedule will improve your overall quality of life. Not only is it easy on the body but it’s also a great stepping stone for inexperienced newbie’s. Remember to frequently practice and soon you will appreciate the wonders of yoga
