The history of yoga has more than four thousand years, and over the past hundred years, the benefits of yoga have been less and less doubted, while the system itself is gaining an ever-growing army of adherents and followers. There are a large number of different styles and exercises of yoga, but all of them include three main components: posture, breathing, and meditation.
The benefits of yoga are primarily related to the body because it has been proven that the practice of asanas develops flexibility, tones, muscles, and heals all body systems. But besides this, yoga classes have a positive effect on the cognitive abilities and psychological state of a person.
Yoga translated from Indian means “connect”, “tie up”, “focus attention”, “apply”. The main goal of yoga is enlightenment, the union of spirit, mind, and body. Yoga helps to know yourself and your abilities, to find the full harmony of physical health and moral and spiritual beauty.
Also, it is an effective way to neutralize depression and stress or relax. Classes take place in a relaxed mode and consist of various asanas. Asanas are physical exercises that strengthen and heal the body. With their help, you can get to each organ, work through all the ligaments, blood vessels, muscles. The duration of the classes is about 1.5–2 hours.
As a result of physical and breathing exercises, all muscle groups are worked out, and the body is enriched with oxygen. As a result, the body becomes soft and relaxed, which will allow you to stretch and work out more in-depth muscle groups properly. Such a complex effect on the body makes it easy and allows positive energy to circulate freely throughout the body, giving new strength and excellent mood.
With various twists, an effect is exerted on the internal organs, due to which blood circulation is naturally enhanced. Regular practice leads to normalization of digestion, and also reduces the amount of harmful chemical compounds in the blood and reduces the level of internal inflammation, which usually rises with the natural processes of aging and stress.
Benefits of yoga
- Increases muscle strength and body flexibility;
- Strengthens fascia, tendons and bones;
- Improves cardiorespiratory functions and venous outflow;
- Increases heart rate variability and homeostatic control;
- Reduces stress and depression, improves sleep quality and cognitive functions;
- Strengthens the immune system and reduces inflammatory processes in the body;
- Increases the number of red blood cells and mitochondria in the cells;
- Improves proprioception, coordination and reaction rate;
- Increases the overall energy level and reduces fatigue;
- Reduces age-related changes in posture and gait;
- Improves overall health and slows down aging.
Yoga instead of diet?
Besides, yoga, oddly enough, contributes to weight loss. They do not always remember about this advantage of the ancient system of exercises, and sometimes they do not even know at all. This exercise system does not include active physical activity, so you cannot dramatically “burn” a large number of calories with it, but there is some evidence that yoga helps people make healthy choices in terms of nutrition, which ultimately leads to normalization of weight.
Yoga: benefits for girls and women
Women, by nature, are more plastic than males. So, it is easier for ladies to practice yoga than for men. At the same time, the woman’s body needs more energy, since cyclical changes affect her very significantly and continuously. Thus, it turns out that yoga is like the very practice that helps women restore their strength and fill up energy as quickly as possible, without requiring them to be physically expensive. Completeness, especially the one that appears with age, is the subject of particular girlish torment and female anxieties. Some asanas (for example, “butterfly,” “plow,” “goddess pose”) are especially useful in helping a woman control her weight. Finally, another scourge of many women is an unstable emotional state, frequent tantrums, or depression. In eliminating these problems, the benefits of yoga are invaluable! Since performing asanas is a meditative, extraordinarily smooth and measured practice, yoga, like no other discipline, helps strengthen the nervous system, improves sleep quality, restores full circulation and full breathing, and ultimately improves self-esteem and increases self-confidence.
Thanks to the practice of asanas, the following positive changes are taking place for women’s physical and mental health:
Impossible is nothing
And finally, yoga makes us think big. Mastering new asanas, which previously seemed to us something unattainable, we are convinced of our ability to take radical steps that we once did not dare to think about even in our wildest fantasies.
Yoga and meditation
The mechanism of the process of immersion in oneself is not fully explained by scientists. However, in most cases, the psychophysical techniques of yoga allow you to calm down and avoid or compensate for the effects of stress.
In groups with a small number of meditators, the level of anxiety decreased and remained low for several weeks after class. Yoga adepts claim that exercise also allows you to understand your body, bring it into harmony with the spirit, and achieve enlightened peace.
Compared the benefits of doing yoga and different types of activities, for example, with classes in a fitness club. It turned out that the result depends on the school of yoga and on the level of the teacher.
If you are just going to do yoga, consult with your doctor and remember the safety during exercise. Remember that yoga is designed for pleasure and health, not torment and pain.
About the author
Melisa Marzett is a yoga practitioner since recently, and she admits its usefulness no matter which way you look at it. Especially if to take into consideration the fact that she spends much time writing currently writing for https://writing-help.org/and she does not have such a habit as Hemingway had, which is to write standing. She has always been into sports and wanted to become a ballerina, but her life had a slightly different weave. She does not regret it. Her worldview is based on no regrets and positive thinking.
