The Mayo Clinic defines yoga as a mind-body type of alternative medicine practice that combines physical and mental exercises that result in a sense of peacefulness, relaxation and calmness. Practicing yoga regularly improves both mental and physical well-being.
Flexibility
Yoga is commonly known for increasing flexibility. As you continue to practice yoga on a regular basis, you will begin to notice the positive effects that come with greater flexibility. Tight muscles have a negative influence on the alignment of bones and joints. For instance, tight hamstrings create lower-back pain by pulling on the spine. Tight hip flexors may cause improper alignment of the thigh bone, which then causes pain in the knee. Increased flexibility also results in better posture.
Stress Management
Yoga uses quiet, precise and controlled movements that by nature changes your focus from everyday stresses to concentration on what your body is doing, and how it is moving. Stress creates tense muscles, increased heart rate, abnormal breathing and high blood pressure. The guided relaxation exercises that yoga provides counteract these symptoms and allow your body to return to its normal state.
Fitness
The poses that you perform during yoga are meant to challenge your muscle strength, flexibility, balance and range of motion. As you learn and improve the postures, your body becomes stronger in all areas. This results in a lesser likelihood of suffering injuries during other forms of exercise and physical activity. The Defense Institute of Physiology performed a study in which the participants who practiced yoga daily did not fatigue after physical exertion as easily as those who performed basic exercises daily. The study also revealed that yoga increases aerobic capacity and stamina.
Other Benefits
Flexibility, stress management and fitness are just a few of the many health benefits that yoga offers. If practiced regularly, yoga plays a positive role in the treatment of diabetes, depression, cancer, asthma, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, heart disease and obesity. High blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol and heart rate may also be lowered by practicing yoga.
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