Nowadays, all of us require some means of grounding ourselves, finding serenity, and feeling quite healthy. One of the most effective means of attaining this is through the art of yoga, which has grown especially popular in recent years. If you have ever thought about why else there are so many people going to yoga studios or why your friends love it so much, read on! There are more benefits of yoga than just one’s ability to twist and turn in various ways to relax the muscles and joints. Now imagine starting from this viewpoint. Let’s take a look at how this ancient method can help improve your fitness and well-being.
Develops Flexibility and Strength
One of the tremendous benefits of yoga is that it acts as an effective tool for increasing the flexibility of a person. Research has established that a person could enhance his/her flexibility level by 35% within 8 weeks if he/she practices yoga. During the different postures being performed, the muscles are pulled in all sorts of directions,which creates flexibility in the body. And while it involves lots of bending and twisting it also focuses on strength. Even standing poses such as plank or warrior position exercise your muscles in your stomach arms, and legs. Well, you are not just growing flexibility; you are building up some muscles at the same time. Two birds, one stone!
Reduces Stress and Anxiety
Stressed? Overwhelmed right now? Yoga to the rescue! Yoga exercises such as deep breathing are recommended since they scientifically help to reduce cortisol levels and stress hormones. Indeed, a research study outlined by the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found subjects who practiced yoga reduced anxiety by 27 percent. Who wouldn’t love a form of exercise that is as much moving meditation? The bonus of doing the breathing exercises with very gentle stretches that you take is that you are putting yourself into a relaxed state which reduces stress and anxiety. That we can get out of this state of mind is one of the foremost benefits of yoga to improve mental health.
Improves Heart Health
There is no doubt that all of us need to pay much attention to our hearts at some time or another, especially as we grow older. The good news? Yoga is an exercise that can benefit the heart, or ticker, as people often call it. Daily practice has been favorably described to reduce the prevailing use of blood pressure and the categorized ‘bad cholesterol,’ while increasing the ‘good cholesterol’ category. Research done at Harvard Medical School also concluded that practicing yoga daily could decrease the chances of heart disease by 50%. Now that’s a game-changer!
Increases Mental Alertness and Concentration
If you have started feeling a bit blurry in the head or have problems with concentration, yoga is your key. Yoga is said to assist in enhancing the portions of the brain linking to memory and intellect. Yoga concerns the balance between the breath and other body movements, training you to pay attention, thus helping to improve concentration in your daily activities. There are several benefits of yoga, which are, namely: You get to improve your ability to concentrate, and focusing is something we all could sorely use, could we not?
Enhances Sleep Quality
Tossing and turning at night? If you’re struggling to get a good night’s sleep, yoga may be the answer. Yoga can actually help reduce the activity of the nervous system, and this is why it is easy to fall asleep when practicing yoga. Thus, the Sleep Foundation explains that 55 percent of those who practice yoga have experienced some enhancement in their sleep quality. Likely, the inclusion of a gentle yoga session in the evening can turn the magic switch and help you doze off.
Final Thoughts: Embrace the Benefits of Yoga
With Ashtanga yoga, one can strengthen muscles, have flexibility improvement, tone lungs, and heart, relieve stress, and enhance mental health. It can have about the same benefits for those who have done it for a week or years already, so everyone can try it and get only the benefits. Yoga is not about being able to bend your back and touch your toes or doing a very neat headstand; it is more about coming in contact with yourself, the inside of you.