Are you interested in yoga and how it can affect your body? Read more to find out the benefits yoga can bring to your health!
Yoga is a technique that unites the body and mind. It consists of breathing techniques, reflection, and different postures. You don't have to gain expertise to start practicing yoga- you can start small with a few techniques.
Yoga isn't just about breathing in and out, meditating, and being flexible. There are physical and psychological benefits to practicing yoga as well. Studies have started to come out on the benefits of yoga, and with that, Here are the main Five Health Benefits of doing Yoga.
Yoga Increases Balance and Flexibility.
Adding yoga to your daily routine increases flexibility, balance, and strength. It works by stretching your muscles, which can help you feel less tired. Significant research has proved that there are yoga poses that can enhance flexibility, strength, and balance all at the same time.
One study examined the effects of yoga on 26 males for ten weeks. The studies concluded that yoga improves the balance and flexibility of the experimental group compared to the control group. Another study in 2013 concluded that doing yoga could enhance balance and strength among adults as well.
You can rep these benefits with even just half an hour daily. These short daily routines can make a difference that will result in an enhanced balance and flexibility. Try not to just stretch for 30 minutes and actually immerse yourself in a Yoga routine. Yoga routines with slow movements, breathing exercises, and maintaining poses improve strength and blood flow.
Flexibility is one of the known benefits of doing yoga. But for first-timers, you might struggle to ace flexibility - this is something that takes time. With continuous perseverance, your body will be flexible, and you'll see yourself achieving the challenging poses.
Eventually, the aches and pains you feel at the onset of your routine will disappear. One study found out that people who did yoga for two months improved flexibility by 35 percent!
One study found out that people who did yoga for two months improved flexibility by 35 percent!
Yoga Improves Heart Health
Heart health is one of the most important factors in regards to a person's general overall health. Supported by studies, yoga helps improve the heart and minimizes the risk for heart diseases.
One study on 40+ year-old respondents who have been doing yoga for five years found that they had significantly lower blood pressure than their peers. Hypertension (high blood pressure) is one of the leading roots of heart problems. Hence, lower blood pressure helps prevent heart problems, such as heart attacks.
There are also studies showing how yoga slows the development of heart diseases. The study involved 113 participants with heart problems who followed a year's worth of healthy lifestyle practices, including yoga and a healthy diet.
As a result, they found a 26% decrease in bad cholesterol, with 47% of the patients discontinuing their heart ailment progression.
With yoga, you're minimizing stress and body pains, thus, improving your heart health (or at least not hurting it). Practicing yoga can also help in dealing with hypertension and obesity, which improves your overall cardiovascular health.
Yoga has long been known to decrease and slow a heart rate. A slower heart rate helps people suffering from hypertension, stroke, and heart ailments. All in all, Yoga is linked to boosting the overall immune system.
Yoga Enhances Quality of Sleep
Bad quality of sleep is linked with excess weight, depression, and hypertension. Studies found out that yoga can drastically enhance your sleep quality.
One study in 2005 involves 69 older patients that were divided into three groups. The first group practices yoga, the second takes herbs, and the third is the control group. The group who did yoga had a longer and better quality of sleep than the two other groups time after time.
Yoga has also been known to boost melatonin secretion, which regulates sleep. Bedtime yoga can help you prepare to fall and sustain your sleep. If you've ever taken a melatonin before bed - maybe you should just try Yoga next time instead.
The relaxation from practicing yoga helps improve the quality of sleep. Doing yoga routines before bed is a good routine for all but is especially beneficial for people who have insomnia.
Yoga Helps Improve Breathing
Yoga involves giving focus on your breathing while relaxing and there are some breathing techniques included in practicing yoga. Pranayama is a yoga practice on controlling breathing through different exercises.
Studies show that yoga practices that include breathing techniques promote better breathing in your day-to-day life. Improved breathing boosts strength and is good for your lungs and heart.
One study involved 287 student respondents that became daily practicers of yoga poses and breathing techniques. After roughly two months, these students increased the maximum air they can expire from their lungs or vital capacity. An improved vital capacity is beneficial for people with asthma and lung diseases.
A 2009 research concluded that Yoga breathing techniques enhance the lungs of people with asthma. People who practice Yoga are adept at inhaling fewer breaths with greater volume - which can lead to faster/easier relaxation. Overall, Yoga improves the function and capacity of the lungs.
One study in 1998 that was published in The Lancet conducted yoga focusing on a breathing technique called "complete breathing." They tested the breathing technique with people suffering from lung problems. One month after the yoga session, the participants' respiratory rate decreased while their performance and oxygen saturation improved significantly.
Most Yoga sessions involve inhaling through the nose. This helps filter and humidify the oxygen inhaled. Additionally, inhaling through the nose warms the air which helps prevent an asthma attack. The warmth of the air removes potential dirt and other things that could enter your nose.
Yoga Helps You Manage Stress and Anxiety
It's well known that yoga provides relaxation and relieves stress. There is numerous research supporting that yoga decreases the hormone responsible for stress, cortisol, and anxiety. Yoga focuses on feeling present in the moment which helps manage the anxiety of your day-to-day life.
A study on Yoga's impact on stress involves 24 females who claimed to be experiencing stress. In the study, the female participants became part of a yoga program for three months and they all ended the program with lower cortisol. Each participant experienced a decrease in stress and exhaustion.
One more study that had 131 participants garnered the same results. The participants practiced yoga for ten weeks and resulted in decreased stress and anxiety.
To relieve stress, you can practice yoga alone or do add it on top of any other methods you use to lessen stress, like meditation. There are many yoga methods that include meditation to relax the mind.
Conclusion
Numerous research proved the multiple health advantages of doing yoga. Including even short sessions of yoga in your daily routine can provide you with numerous health benefits. It improves the heart, balance and flexibility, quality of sleep, and breathing. It also relieves anxiety and stress.
Who knows, maybe all these Yoga benefits will motivate you to officially become a yogi. Carve time out of your day to do Yoga, and soon enough, you'll find yourself noticing positive changes in your health.
So, when are you going to start doing Yoga?
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About the Author:
Cory McKane is the CEO/Founder of WeStrive - a platform for personal trainers to manage & grow their personal training business. He enjoys working out and spending time working with trainers on WeStrive on how to manage/grow their business.
