In the West, the Eastern practise of yoga has become a modern-day symbol of peace, serenity, and well-being. According to studies, more than 500 000 Brits practice yoga each week.
Yoga is widely praised for its ability to decrease stress and increase well-being, but it also provides extensive physical health advantages that rival other forms of exercise. This is what we know.
Brain Function has improved.
Hatha yoga for 20 minutes can improve cognitive function by increasing focus and working memory. Another study found that participants scored much better on brain functioning tests after yoga than another form of physical exercise.
Reduce stress levels.
According to a study published last year by University of California, Los Angeles researchers, yoga's stress-busting abilities may stem from its capacity to reduce the activity of proteins known to have a role in inflammation.
Weight loss, flexibility, and strength
Yoga is difficult and not just because of flexibility limitations. Many yoga postures, particularly Chair, the Warrior series, Chaturanga, and others, are designed to increase strength. Toning the body helps to build muscle. Because muscle burns more calories at rest than fat, your resting calorie burn will be higher, resulting in weight loss but as long as your calorie intake remains balanced.
Mobility -Isn’t this the same as flexibility to say? No in short, flexibility is the ability of the muscle to lengthen and mobility is the ability for a joint to move through its socket’s full range of motion – it’s about your tendons, ligaments, fascia, and bones.
Your joint’s mobility is how you get from point A to B, whereas flexibility is how far you’re able to go into point A or point B. Think of it as how you’re able to get in and out of a position comfortably – do you find yourself struggling to stand up from seated, or struggling to bend down and pick something up? That’s a lack of mobility.
Posture, Posture, Posture
Yoga teaches you to be more aware o where your body is in space and as you become more aware to hold your bones in proper alignment, so you break bad habits and replace it with better posture. Good posture is good for you physically, emotionally as well as
Good posture doesn’t just benefit you physically – it also benefits you internally; when you’re in proper form, all of your internal organs are in their optimal position as well – meaning better digestion
Improves Balance
The majority of your balance stems from your abdominal strength – when you have an activated core, your body is stable, so your brain sends your muscles the thumbs up that its safe to enter different and new ranges of motion.
Increased Energy
The main way yoga increases energy is simply by bringing you back to your breath– we don’t realise how often we are holding our breath or simply just breathing shallow. Breath is our life force that allows energy to move through our bodies– even simply breathing better, without any poses, will energise you.