Benefits of Yoga: Losing weight, improving immunity, strong and flexible body, glowing skin, calm mind, good health, etc.- Whatever you are looking for, yoga has it all.
Table of Contents
What is yoga
In the simplest terms – Yoga is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated in ancient India.
In other words- it is an art and science to live a healthy life.
Yoga is an ancient Indian mind-body technique that is becoming increasingly popular worldwide due to its many health benefits
International Yoga Day is celebrated on June 21 across the world. It was observed for the first time in 2015.
The United Nations General Assembly proposed on December 11 and established June 21 as “International Yoga Day.”
The date was assigned for the occasion as it is the longest day when the sun is out at its most compared to every other day of the year.
Yoga is the golden key that unlocks the door to peace, tranquility, and joy
Benefits of yoga and meditation
The regular practice of yoga and meditation promotes strength, endurance, flexibility, and facilitates the characteristics of friendship, compassion, and greater self-control while creating a sense of peace and well-being.
There are countless benefits of yoga, some of which I have been discussing in detail in this article.
1. Improves flexibility and posture
Improper posture and body habits can cause your body to lose flexibility. A flexible body has a lower risk of injury than a rigid body, which is why we recommend always stretching before any type of workout.
Practicing yoga regularly, whether in class or at home, is probably one of the best ways to increase mobility in your muscles and joints.
There are many physical benefits of yoga and flexibility is one of them. Flexibility is one of the key elements of good physical health
Some yoga asanas for better flexibility and body posture
2. Boosts immunity
As Covid-19 is scaring, grapples the whole world, people are getting more concerned about their health.
In this pandemic era, boosting immunity is also becoming a priority in people’s minds.
Yoga plays a vital role in boosting immunity. It is one of the best ways you can naturally increase your immunity without having to step out of the comfort of your home.
There is no one specific way to prevent any disease, but you can definitely improve your immunity and fight back.
Yoga is a holistic lifestyle that can help you do this while enhancing physical and mental health.
Check out our other article- 15 amazing foods that boost immune system
Some yoga asanas to boost immunity
3. Increases the strength of the body
Along with increasing flexibility, yoga also enhances the physical health of the body.
Yoga helps to build muscle and maintain muscle strength, which prevents conditions like arthritis.
Doing Hatha yoga poses like plank pose and warrior pose can help strengthen your core muscles, which include the muscles in your abdomen, sides, pelvis, and back.
Hatha yoga strengthens your core muscles because it requires holding poses for long periods of time, which activates muscles like your abdominals and glutes.
Yoga poses that build strength
4. Yoga for weight loss
Can yoga help you lose weight?
Yes of course you can lose weight by yoga in a very healthy way. Almost all yoga asanas burn calories when done regularly but some asanas help a lot in weight loss.
If you are looking for weight loss, yoga is the best way to lose weight in a healthy way.
Some yoga asanas for weight loss are
5. Reduces depression and stress
Yoga and meditation have many benefits regarding mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, stress, and insomnia.
Yoga encourages you to relax, slow the breath, and focus on the present.
One of the main benefits of yoga is to attain peace of mind and cultivate a sense of well-being, a sense of relaxation, better self-confidence, better efficiency, and improved mood.
A 2013 study has shown that regular pranayama and doing yoga have significant positive effects on anxiety, depression, and stress.
Anulom-Vilom and Kapalbhati are the best pranayamas for people of every age group.
6. Helps you sleep better
One of the best benefits of yoga is, it helps in reducing stress and creates a routine which in turn creates a regular sleep pattern. A relaxed body gets a deeper and more peaceful sleep.
This can be easily done by yoga Nidra, but what is Yoga Nidra?
Yoga Nidra or yogic sleep is an immensely powerful meditation technique and one of the easiest yoga practices.
The benefits of yoga Nidra are- it is a simple way to reduce stress, enhance the quality of sleep, and promote inner peace.
7. Provides inner peace and calmness
Practicing yoga would help you find a different side of yourself. It would make you feel good about yourself and helps you take a positive attitude in life.
Practicing regular yoga will make you feel happier and boosts the metabolism of your body.
8. Cardiovascular benefits
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has recognized cardiovascular or heart diseases to be the leading cause of death globally.
Just like other forms of exercise, yoga can improve your cholesterol and blood sugar levels by improving metabolism and can lower blood pressure by improving artery relaxation.
Yoga postures and breathing techniques help maintain good circulation of oxygen and nutrient-rich blood to each cell.
The American Heart Association has proven that yoga can also help reverse heart diseases to an extent.
A good cardio workout can be achieved through Surya namaskar
Various breathing practices such as Kapalbhati and Anulom-Vilom pranayama help improve lung capacity, cleanse the blood, reduce blood pressure and blood glucose levels, lower cholesterol, anxiety, and stress
9. Spiritual benefits of yoga
Along with physical and mental benefits, yoga has spiritual benefits too. It awakens the spirit and builds healthy spiritual awareness.
It helps in connecting the personal energy into divine energy and promotes interdependence between mind, body, and spirit.
“Yoga allows you to find an inner peace that is not ruffled and riled by the endless stresses and struggles of life”
B.K.S. Iyengar
Conclusion
Yoga is not just a practice or an exercise but a way of life.
Mentally, physically and of course spiritually it heals and improves us from deep inside.
As we panic with busy lives, yoga gives us a way to move forward to engage ourselves, which we often overlook.
Yoga even provides us spiritual stretch of life goals and relinquishing stress as well, and enhances our ability to balance our life from professional to the personal domain.
“Life is from inside out when you shift on the inside, life shifts on the outside”
P.S: If you are a beginner, please always do yoga under expert supervision and if you have any type of health problem, consult your doctor before starting any yoga exercise.
Thank you
Click here to go to home page
Check out our other article:- 15 amazing foods that boost immune system
Disclaimer: All information is taken from reliable sources (such as authentic books, Wikipedia, and others). Information or facts may vary in different sources.
Good quality of Information keep sharing
One of the prime article found on yoga benefits , highly appreciable.
Thank you!!1
Keep functioning ,splendid job!
many thanks.. 🙂