10 Reasons to Try Yoga
written by
Yoga Breaks in Spain
The health and fitness benefits of yoga have long
been reported by practitioners and via scientific research. Give yoga
a try and discover what it can do for your body, your mind, and your soul.
1. YOGA FOR … STRESS RELIEF: Yoga reduces the physical effects of stress on
the body. By encouraging relaxation, yoga lowers the levels of the stress
hormone cortisol. Related benefits include lowering blood pressure and heart
rate, improving digestion and boosting the immune system as well as easing
symptoms of conditions such as anxiety, depression, fatigue, asthma and
insomnia.
2. YOGA FOR … PAIN RELIEF: Yoga can ease pain. Studies have demonstrated
that practicing yoga asanas (postures), meditation or a combination of the
two, reduced pain for people with conditions such as cancer, multiple
sclerosis, auto-immune diseases and high blood pressure as well as
arthritis, back and neck pain and other chronic conditions. Some
practitioners report that even emotional pain can be eased through the
practice of yoga.
3. YOGA FOR … BETTER BREATHING: Yoga teaches people to take slower, deeper
breaths. This helps to improve lung function, trigger the body’s relaxation
response and increase the amount of oxygen available to the body.
4. YOGA FOR … FLEXIBILITY: Yoga helps to improve flexibility and mobility,
increasing range of movement and reducing aches and pains. Many people can’t
touch their toes during their first yoga class. Gradually they begin to use
the correct muscles. Over time, the ligaments, tendons and muscles lengthen,
increasing elasticity, making more poses possible. Yoga also helps to
improve body alignment resulting in better posture and helping to relieve
back, neck, joint and muscle problems.
5. YOGA FOR … INCREASED STRENGTH: Yoga asanas (postures) use every muscle in
the body, helping to increase strength literally from head to toe. And,
while these postures strengthen the body, they also provide an additional
benefit of helping to relieve muscular tension.
6. YOGA FOR … WEIGHT MANAGEMENT: Yoga (even less vigorous styles) can aid
weight control efforts by reducing the cortisol levels as well as by burning
excess calories and reducing stress. Yoga also encourages healthy eating
habits and provides a heightened sense of well being and self esteem.
7. YOGA FOR … IMPROVED CIRCULATION: Yoga helps to improve circulation and,
as a result of various poses, more efficiently moves oxygenated blood to the
body’s cells.
8. YOGA FOR … CARDIOVASCULAR CONDITIONING: Even gentle yoga practice can
provide cardio-vascular benefits by lowering resting heart rate, increasing
endurance and improving oxygen uptake during exercise.
9. YOGA FOR … FOCUS ON THE PRESENT: Yoga helps us to focus on the present,
to become more aware and to help create mind body health. It opens the way
to improved concentration, coordination, reaction time and memory.
10. YOGA FOR … INNER PEACE: The meditative aspects of yoga help many to
reach a deeper, more spiritual and more satisfying place in their lives.
Many who begin to practice for other reasons have reported this to be a key
reason that yoga has become an essential part of their daily lives.
Provided by Nicole Stone, Yoga Teacher Costa Blanca. Tel. 0034 620 147
089
