Benefits of Yoga – Live a bit more life 30 Sep 2021 – Posted in: Blogs

ALL exercise is good exercise. Anything you do for your physical health will pay off in the long run. But the truth is, every form of exercise hits the body differently. Every movement feels different, produces a different reaction. Among the popular forms of exercise, the benefits of yoga are gaining repute. Gone are the days when yoga was considered as something you did when your bones were weak and your skin was wrinkled, you know, when you were 60. Even the west has now caught up with the true power and benefits of yoga practice.

Among other things, two things have made yoga popular especially in the pandemic world. Firstly, yoga does not rely on equipment or large spaces. You can do it right at home, making it a highly sought-after alternative when gyms were shut down.

Secondly, it is perhaps the only form of exercise which improves your mental health along with your physical health. Yes, any workout will produce endorphins in your body, which is the feel-good hormone. But yoga places an active emphasis on strengthening and calming your mind. As you command your body in time and space, so do you learn control over your thoughts and your breath, ultimately making you a more grounded person.

But why talk so much about philosophical, intangible benefits of yoga? Science has presented us with concrete health and wellness benefits of yoga practice. If you don’t already practice yoga, perhaps the following list will convince you to start.

Flexibility, strength, conditioning, and posture – the ultimate all in one deal

If you have trained in the gym before, you know you need to switch up your routines to achieve different goals. There are days you allocate for strength training, days for dynamic stretches, and specific exercises to improve your posture.

Yoga allows you to achieve all these targets all at once. Because yoga is based on concentric holds – increasing the duration of time under pressure as you hold an asana – it is automatically a great way to improve your muscle and tissue strength. If you perform them at a faster pace, yoga moulds itself into a cardiovascular conditioning exercise.

And since you’re bending your body in varied (sometimes unthinkable) positions, it is the best way to improve your flexibility.

Besides, there are certain asanas which perfect your posture so you look and feel better.

Invisible health still matters

Did you know, just by standing straight, you improve the proper functioning of your inner glands and organs? This is because they are aligned as they are supposed to be as opposed to when you slouch or slump.

By regular practice of yoga, you can make sure all your internal organs are well-aligned, regularly rejuvenated, and working smoothly.

Moreover, the added time under tension from all your asana holds also improves your bone strength, something banging out reps in the gym doesn’t do nearly as well.

And with your heart in peak conditions, the blood flow throughout your body inevitably improves, practically adding days to your life.

Getting better at managing your moods

Well, it’s unreasonable to feel happy all the time. Sometimes, your day just sucks. There are people who go to the gym and do rage sets to vent, and that is perfectly fine. But sometimes, you’re just too damn down to put in that effort. In such cases, yoga is replete with delicate, healing asanas.

Not only do they improve your mood instantly, they also force you to connect with yourself and your thoughts.  You get thrown into a retrospective mood, and arrive at the base cause of your frustration. This turns into a more enlightening process and helps you manage the situation better the next time such a scenario presents itself to you.

Yoga helps you focus better

Paying active attention to the current moment is the bedrock of yoga. Whether it is through dhyan and pranayama (two potent branches of yoga) or through really slow and gradual poses, practicing yoga makes you alert of every passing moment, every inhalation and exhalation, every emotion passing through your mind, every tremor in your body.

This radically improves your focus and enables you to concentrate better not just in your yoga sessions, but life in general.

Of course, there are hundreds of other benefits of yoga, but these 4 were the broad level ones of the exercise. Yoga just keeps on giving, and asks only diligence and discipline in general. It will enrich your life like nothing else, and help you achieve whatever goals you have in life.