{"id":2419,"date":"2019-01-04T03:20:02","date_gmt":"2019-01-04T03:20:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/veryhealthy.life\/?p=2419"},"modified":"2020-07-08T03:17:37","modified_gmt":"2020-07-08T03:17:37","slug":"20-life-changing-benefits-of-yoga-for-your-body-mind-and-soul","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/veryhealthy.life\/20-life-changing-benefits-of-yoga-for-your-body-mind-and-soul\/","title":{"rendered":"20 Life-Changing Benefits of Yoga for Your Body, Mind, and Soul"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Yoga is an ancient Indian tradition that elevates physical, mental and spiritual well being through paying elevated attention to the mind-body-soul connect. The emphasis is on gentle stretching and sculpting exercises or positions called poses, and breathing techniques rather than endurance training or high-impact, heartbeat-accelerating physical exercises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The benefits are no less though, and according to the UN, the 2 billion people who practice yoga worldwide would argue not only that it \u2018works\u2019, but is beneficial in ways other exercise disciplines are not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This probably also accounts for why the number of Americans who practice yoga has increased by 50% to over 36 million between 2012 and 2016 alone, according to Harvard Medical School. Here are some positive physical fitness, mental and lifestyle effects of enjoying yoga regularly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Lowers the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The European Journal of Preventive Cardiology recently reported that studies have shown a definite link between doing yoga and increase heart health. This was true for those who did both gentle and strenuous forms of yoga.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those who did yoga showed an improvement in several spheres all linked to improved heart health. Study participants lost an average of five pounds, lowered their blood pressure by five points, and also decreased their levels of harmful cholesterol by 12 points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harvard medical professors with an interest in yoga did not find the results to be surprising as yoga incorporates physical activity, meditation, and breathing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stretching the muscles helps them become more resistant to insulin, lowering blood sugar, while the deep breathing calms blood pressure. Stilling the mind, in turn, eases stress, controls anxiety and calms the nervous system, giving the adrenal glands a break. Cumulatively, the effects insulate the heart from risk and strengthen it overall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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2. Sets You Up For A Superior Quality of Life<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There is evidence to suggest that the likelihood of you falling when you\u2019re 60 and older could be diminished if you take up the practice of yoga when you are older, thanks in particular to the emphasis on balance and flexibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not only are your muscles and tendons strengthen, your ability to balance, especially thanks to improved posture and core toning, is greatly enhanced. So is your ability to maneuver out of a fall or avert it at the last minute as greater agility and flexibility mean that you can twist into a rectifying position, or grab onto something instead of having a full-impact fall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Proprioception refers to your sense of spatial awareness and ability to land safely on your feet or in a chair, thanks to clear brain-muscle signals. This too is improved because of the mental discipline brought about by the meditative and other practices in yoga.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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3. Musculoskeletal Pain Decreases<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The main cause of chronic pain in the developed world is musculoskeletal conditions. It affects both functional ability and the ability to socialize. Examples of musculoskeletal conditions are arthritis, joint pain, osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia, and lower back pain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In recent studies, yoga was shown to result in clinically significant improvements in mild to severe conditions of these kinds. It was found to decrease both the pain levels and the ability to function properly in the individuals studied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is likely due to the fact that key muscle groups around the affected areas were strengthened. An example is lower back pain. Yoga was shown to radically improve strength in the glutes, core muscles, and upper back muscles, which compensated for the weakness or strain on the lower back muscles, spinal cord, and nerves. As a result, the supportive load required of the lower back could be transferred to the musculoskeletal groups around it, creating less tension and pain in the lower back region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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4. Overall Quality of Life is Improved<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As yoga focuses on health at the intersection of mind, body, and spirit, studies have found that yoga practitioners want to be healthier overall and take steps to achieve it. Those who do yoga frequently report feeling more positive about their bodies and mental health outlooks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They also tend to think more clearly, be more flexible and are fitter and stronger. Importantly, they actively seek to improve in these quadrants of their lives beyond the yoga studio as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In general, studies have therefore found that those who do yoga lead far more active and healthy lives in general, often taking up other sports or physical exercises too. Yoga involves nurturing your spirit and those of others and being in touch with the Divine Source, as well as protecting what the Divine has created. It\u2019s hardly surprising then that those doing yoga are more likely to go \u2018green\u2019 both in diet and lifestyle and to move towards living more sustainably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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5. The Perfect Balancing Act<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s no secret that yoga improves balance. Balance is something most people take for granted, but it is what helps you not to fall off your chair, walk upright or descend a flight of stairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Good balance improves your posture and helps insulate various muscle groups from strain – the more subtly imbalanced you are, the more likely you\u2019ll develop muscle spasms over time and turn to remedies such as physiotherapy or acupuncture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Strengthening and stretching yoga poses require complete focus and for the mind to be at rest. The only energy of any kind that is used is directed at seeing your body in a certain position in your mind\u2019s eye and keeping it there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While this is great for physical balance, it also results in a mental and emotional balance in daily life. Yoga trains the mind to be even and calm during these balancing poses so that your daily responses to life seem less like a rollercoaster and more like a smooth, pleasant drive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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6. Banish That Negative Energy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ever experience searing pain between your shoulder blades or a stiff neck? Often, we put that down to bad posture, stress or sleeping incorrectly. The cause of the tension though could also be stored negative energy or unresolved emotions. Yoga can help you release these, and letting go of the bad means being able to welcome the good. On a spiritual level, this is why yoga practitioners are often said to be happier or, at any event, more serene than those who don\u2019t practice yoga.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to traditional yoga wisdom, anger and grief are stored in the chest while the sides of the body are where hurt and frustration tend to bury themselves. Yoga is designed to deal with emotions by working out the physical body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yoga poses that focus on specific areas where particular negative emotions are stored. In the case of being unhappy, this is often a feeling of being \u2018stuck\u2019. Appropriate yoga poses are therefore ones that integrate the whole body and that make you feel connected to it. Outward chest poses are similarly helpful, as are those in which you seem to emulate striding forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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7. Unblock Your Chakras<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The word \u2018chakra\u2019 means wheel or disk in Sanskrit and refers to the seven main spiritual energy centers in the body. They are situated from the crown of the head, down through the neck and down throughout the spine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The notion of chakras originated in ancient Hindu scripts from as early as 1500 BC. Each of the seven chakras corresponds to particular organs as well as physical, psychological, spiritual and emotional outputs and states of being, and so influence all aspects of your life. The chakras contain \u2018prana\u2019 or the healing energies required to lead your most attractive health, happiness, and abundance-based life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If any of your chakras are blocked, it is like the spinning wheel of a YouTube video that doesn\u2019t stop. You need the wheel to stop before you can watch the video and in the same way, you need each chakra to be opened before you can harness its energy. Meditation, yoga, and reiki are the main means of aligning and opening chakras so that this pure and vital energy flows freely throughout the body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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8. Improve Your Digestive Health<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Gut health issues manifest in many ways from the irregular evacuation of the bowel to bacterial infections, nausea, IBS and more. Bacterial infections that start in the gut can suppress immunity throughout the body, and prevent the digestive tract from taking up vital nutrients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because the nervous systems in the gut and brain are so intimately connected, bad digestive health also affects serotonin balance levels in the brain, anxiety, and mood. This is vital when your everyday life is full of stress, which subjects the body to extreme mental and physical conditions. Life balance does begin within and taking time to resolve this is imperative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mild, regulated breathing and gentle yoga positions relax the gut. Twisting positions aid digestion, and encourage the liver and kidneys to flush out toxins. As a result, yoga can also help bloating go down, send more oxygen to the digestive tract in a focused way and help you achieve a taut tummy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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9. Improves Memory, Focus, and Concentration<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Given the fast pace of life today, most of us are under pressure to not only perform but to do so continuously and at our peak in multiple roles while multitasking as employees, spouses, parents, caregivers, and friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the greatest barriers to critical performance is low memory function and a lack of concentration. It often manifests as irritability, not being as organized as you should be and doing tasks properly within allocated time frames.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The aspect of yoga known as Dharana is specifically focussed on helping you improve concentration. It is often studied together with meditation and enlightenment. Athletes can use Dharana to great effect when requiring peak performance, for example, and so can musicians when they need to play an intimate set to a large crowd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dharana stills inner conflicts so that the mind cannot be in two places at once. This ability to fight the racing mind is very useful when trying to complete a big task or set of small tasks in a given space of time with great accuracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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10. Helps With PTSD<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re suffering the after-effects of a traumatic experience, yoga can help
PTSD is a type of anxiety disorder that can develop as a result of having lived through a deeply traumatic experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Often it is characterized by nightmares, sweats and shaking when the event is recalled, or a strong desire to avoid anything that reminds you of the event. It also has myriad other manifestations, such as flashbacks accompanied by irrational panic attacks. This often puts a mental strain on the person as they are unable to control the onset of these attacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The form of yoga known to be effective in reducing PTSD is hatha. Hatha is broad in meaning but today it is commonly used to describe beginner, stationery yoga classes with an emphasis on gentle poses and breathing. It is slower in pace and focuses a lot on stretch-based routines. Hatha helps you acquire relaxation techniques, work on alignment and build strength and flexibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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11. Can Give Your Mood A Boost<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Stress, worry, and anxiety deeply affect your mood. It can cause a surge of cortisone in the body when the adrenal glands go into overdrive, for example, which can cause your heartbeat and blood pressure to rise. It can also stop the production of feel-good hormones such as endorphins in the brain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yoga, as a form of gentle exercise that also unblocks your chakras, can help these endorphins be released into the brain and bloodstream. Because the effects of meditation and yoga pose linger long after a class, especially if practiced regularly, yoga has been linked not just to an immediate lift in mood, but the ability to feel good for long periods of time as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It stops you from erratically swinging from mood to mood and clears brain fog so that problems do not seem bigger than they actually are, and so that you don\u2019t fall into the despairing depths you may have fallen into otherwise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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12. Yoga Helps Build Strong Bones<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Fragile bones are often linked to a lack of calcium. But often osteoporosis is also the result in part of weak muscles and tendons around the bone. This allows more weight than is necessary to bear down on the skeletal structure, subjecting it to stress – and the next stress fracture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The recommendation is for the person to find a suitable form of exercise that won’t stress the body. This is how yoga becomes a good way to better the skeletal condition, without compromising on muscle toning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Certain yoga poses are specifically designed to strengthen bones and muscles. These are the weight-bearing postures. Typical examples are downward- and upward-facing dog, which strengthens the arm, leg, hip and knee bones and joints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Along with better balance, it also helps you spread your weight more evenly so that you don\u2019t overwork certain bones and cause them unnecessary strain. This, in turn, increases your confidence in handling your body weight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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13. Makes You Less Prone To Getting a Stiff Neck<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

According to published articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals, about 20% of the American population suffers from a stiff neck every now and time. It results in lost time at work and interrupts life in general as basic tasks such as driving can be challenging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A German study in the Journal of Pain in 2012 showed that yoga, in particular, was effective in alleviating and preventing neck spasms. Unlike some gym exercise where the stiff neck syndrome is commonplace, yoga allows you to gently build the neck muscles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Usually, anti-inflammatory medications are prescribed for neck pain. It was noted that Iyengar yoga, which also helps alleviate lower back pain, was one of the best alternatives to medicine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this type of yoga, the individual works with supportive props and the kind of poses required are tailored to the individual\u2019s condition. The result of the study under review was a clinically significant reduction in pain and muscle relaxation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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14. Helps to Improve Relationship<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Many of us know only too well that relationships can fall apart when one party is inconsiderate, has unpredictable moods or cannot pick up on subtle cues of unhappiness from a partner. Yoga, as a discipline devoted to enhancing consciousness and mindfulness among other things, helps you to be more present in various situations in life, including relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without this pressure release, conflict becomes a daily occurrence and relationships can easily be eroded. Taking time to invest in yourself is important and beneficial to a healthy relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mindfulness involves paying attention to emotions, thoughts, sensations, and surroundings. It is almost a transcendent practice, enabling you to stay calm and present despite any sudden change for the worse and to recenter yourself despite this. The ability to bring yourself back to calm, clarity and joy is an essential one to harness given the dynamic variables that can make a relationship change from moment to moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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15. Improves Your Immune System<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Immunity is necessary for good health. Without it, you\u2019d have colds and flu more often, and to a much worse degree. Good nutrition and vitamin uptake is one way to make sure your immunity is boosted – everything from bad bacteria, internal pollutants and ulcers from the bowel to the mouth can be attributed to lowered immunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yoga is another way of keeping your body\u2019s natural defenses high. This also helps to ward off seasonal illnesses, which can often mean taking time off work. The healthier the body, the better the mind, and brain function.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the flow of movement that improves your body physically as well as, throughout your spiritual energy centers, yoga is able to detox the body and improve circulation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Improved circulation involves getting more oxygen to vital organs when and where needed. It also improves the functioning and flow of the lymphatic system, helping your body get rid of toxins quickly and efficiently. Combined, these factors enhance your immunity overall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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16. Use Yoga To Combat Varicose Veins<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Varicose veins are also known as spider veins thanks to the appearance of these blue, raised veins below the skin. These veins can be a result of hormonal changes, but often they are due to weight gain or water retention, for example, during pregnancy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They can also be as a result of standing for long periods, bad circulation or too little exercise. The daily acceptance of today\u2019s societal living is that people are subjected to a sedentary lifestyle, which often has very detrimental health implications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yoga poses can take the weight off the legs in particular and shift the load-bearing in other directions. It can also improve oxygenation in the blood due to mindful breathing techniques. Another benefit of yoga is better circulation, and better kidney and liver function – these organs get rid of waste and are rebooted. The cumulative effect over time can lead to a marked improvement in the appearance of varicose veins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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17. Makes Weight Loss Possible<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Because yoga improves muscle tone and strengthens muscles in general while burning fat, it increases your base metabolic rate. Your base metabolism is the rate at which you burn fat to provide your body with the energy you need – even while sleeping. Optimal health comes with body relevant weight maintenance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your body has to work harder to burn the fuel required to keep muscles going versus anything else, so the more muscle you have, the higher your metabolic rate. This means overall, you\u2019ll burn off those calories quicker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yoga in general also stimulates a shift in your thinking so you\u2019re less prone to fuel your body with unhealthy, fatty foods. You\u2019ll be more inclined to wellbeing so also likely to take up other activities other than yoga to keep fit. This integrated health focus overall, along with a higher metabolism, stands you in good stead when it comes to maintaining your goal weight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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18. Improves Flexibility and Range of Motion<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If your joints are more flexible, it requires less effort to get through a greater range of motion. This reduces your risk of injury in general when you are active. It also increases physical performance, enabling you to push yourself further and enjoy physical activity more in general.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stretches, such as those done in yoga poses, lower your muscle tissue resistance during activity. This also helps enhance blood flow, allowing for better oxygenation of the organs, which in turn again improves performance. Nutrient uptake to the various tissues requiring it is also enhanced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scientists are not exactly sure how stretching makes you more flexible but it could be that rather than making the muscles longer, it conditions the nervous system to tolerate more muscle extension without emitting pain signals. The nervous system is, therefore, the master controller of how far you can stretch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since yoga also calms the nervous system, it makes sense that this two-prong conditioning approach is what achieves greater flexibility. It would also account for why under anesthesia, when the nerves are dull, a patient can achieve a stretch through a full range of motion without there being any resistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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19. Strengthen Your Mind-Body Connection<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s true what they say, healthy body, healthy mind, but the reverse is also true – the stronger your mental focus, the easier it is to train your body, the healthier and stronger you\u2019ll be overall. Because of the deeply meditative and spiritual benefits of yoga, you\u2019ll be sending loving and positive thoughts to your body on almost a cellular level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In yoga, your thoughts and emotions influence even the tiniest parts that make up your body, influencing wellbeing. This attention to awareness and awakening on an internal level keeps your connection between your mind and your body at its strongest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those who doubt the mind-body connection on this deep, cellular level forget how it overtly manifests. For example, if you fear something, your body may send off fear signals and you may shake at the very thought of a terrifying situation without actually going through it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The same is true of an athlete who has had a dismal performance in a previous event. If he or she cannot overcome this trauma and isn\u2019t mentally stronger the next time around, the athlete may be overwhelmed and underperform again, despite being in better physical shape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The same is true of the mind-body connection on a cellular level – the body can literally think itself stronger and into a state of internal cell repair, even though this can\u2019t be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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20. Yoga Helps You Age Gracefully<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Thanks to yoga, you\u2019ll have fewer stiff muscles, better flexibility, and stronger bone mass than most other 60-year olds. You\u2019ll also have better immunity and have fewer toxins floating around your system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fewer toxins mean fewer free radicals, the internal pollutants that corrode, and age cells. In this way, yoga literally helps your face and skin stay younger, looking more refreshed and elastic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yoga will help you fight insomnia too, and this is critical: your body regenerates on a cellular level in your sleep. Thanks to your improved immunity from yoga, you would have had fewer ill-health spells too. There are so many things that could take a toll on the body but yoga is able to reduce the impact of the vast majority of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to mind-blowing benefits for mind, body, and soul, few other disciplines can match yoga for the vast number of benefits it brings. The best part is, it\u2019s never too late to start – your only regret is likely to be that you\u2019ll wish you\u2019d started sooner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\r\n

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