10 Benefits of Yoga

Things you may not have thought that Yoga can do for you.

Yoga has been known to affect people’s health in many ways. Its primary function is to promote body relaxation and increase flexibility, but researchers have proven Yoga to have even greater effects on people’s health.

I remember about the compulsory Yoga training provided in my college days. We were lazy at that time and didn't want to go for the training. But there was no other go!

But now, even life is lot busier, I find time for little stretching at my home. As much as I would love a yoga session on the beach with the waves rolling in, I have to be realistic.

I’m happy to share with you the benefits of yoga.

A Sunnier Outlook:

There really is something to the "happy yogi." Doing one hour of asana—a sequence of standing, sitting and balancing poses helped avid posers raise their levels of the brain chemical GABA (low levels are linked with depression) by 27 percent compared with a group who read quietly.

Crazy High Confidence:

Yoga could be your ticket to body love. Women who practiced Yoga regularly rated their body satisfaction 20 percent higher than did those who took aerobics, even though both groups were at a healthy weight. The secret may be that yoga asks you to tune in to how your body feels and what it can do—not how it looks.

Helps Fight Food Cravings:

Yes! It’s true! A regular Yoga routine can actually keep you from putting on that extra bit of weight you’ve been trying so desperately to fight off. Food cravings are generally known to strike when our body and muscles are feeling tense, therefore loosening muscles with Yoga movements can really make you fight off that chocolate bar craving.

Helps Cancer Patients Sleep Easy:

The focus on meditation and breathing in Yoga poses generally help relieve stress from your day, and make you sleep better at night. A study showed how cancer patients improved their sleeping patterns by practicing yoga.

Decreases Risk of Diabetes and Cardiovascular Diseases:

Balancing your life with a regular Yoga routine can greatly benefit your heart. A study found a huge improvement in cholesterol and blood sugar levels of individuals with the addition of a regular Yoga routine.

Makes for a Healthy Pregnancy:

Yoga poses can not only calm you, but your little one swimming around inside you new mothers to be. According to a study, new mothers who practice yoga tend to have a safe delivery. Women that were studied added a yoga routine during their second trimester, birthed healthy weight babies with lower pregnancy- induced hypertension.

Top to Toe Toning:

Smart yogis know dumbbells aren't the only way to sculpt. Yoga is strength training. You're using your body weight to move from posture to posture, and in certain poses, you're lifting every pound of it. For surefire firming, focus on muscle-building asana, like Crow, Crescent, Warrior III and plank.

A Sense of Calm:

Namaste the stress away! Individuals who had gone to the mat at least once a week for two years or more released 41 percent less of a tension-triggered cytokine (a type of protein) that can make you feel tired and moody compared with yoga newbies.

Connected:

Yoga is the practice of getting connected. However you choose to view your spirituality, when you practice yoga, you remember that we all are connected, here to help each other, and that we have so much potential when we are kind to others.

Creative:

Creative juices start to flow when your body and mind begin to release mental blocks. Creativity doesn't like to come out when there are stress whether from physical tension or mental cloudiness. When the stress melts away, creativity can come out to play.