Physical & Mental Health Benefits of Yoga

Yoga has been around for thousands of years, and it has stood the test of time in part because of the many amazing benefits it has to offer. The benefits of yoga are many and varied; recognized by medical professionals, professional athletes, and spiritual leaders alike. The rewards of yoga are evident to anyone who practices regularly, it is undeniably one of the best things we can do for our mind, body and spiritual wellbeing.

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Mind

Something we hear again and again about yoga is that it greatly reduces stress. This happens both on a biological and physiological level, and we’ll start by discussing the latter.

Yoga gives us a sense of self awareness, or an awareness of our mental chatter. This awareness is the first step in re-training our focus, and the breathwork in yoga is the perfect opportunity to practice re-centering on our breath. Studies have also found that yoga helps us more accurately assess our control in a given situation, and the practice of yoga helps us to surrender to the moment; to accept where we’re at here and now.

Perhaps most importantly, Yoga helps to foster a positive outlook on stress in general, laying the groundwork for developing healthy coping strategies. Additionally, since yoga helps to regulate our stress, it is also therefore partially responsible for several other positive side effects like improved sleep habits and a stronger immune system.

In addition to stress reduction, yoga also has other meditation-like benefits. Doing yoga is said to improve general brain function and focus, which comes in handy for just about anything. It also has shown to heighten our creativity, boost our energy and enhance our overall attitude.

Body

Yoga can be anything from a light, low impact physical activity to a rigorous full body workout. Depending on the chosen practice, it can be the mindful, deep stretching of Yin Yoga, the invigorating, heart pumping Vinyasa, or the slow, calming practice of Restorative Yoga.

Vinyasa incorporates active stretching, strength training and sometimes even cardio through a series of poses. Yoga, like many other workouts, works alongside our diet to keep a healthy weight and fight disease.

When practiced consistently, yoga can greatly improve our posture, balance and flexibility.

It’s fairly common now, even for young people, to struggle with maintaining proper posture and alignment. Yoga can help to correct poor posture developed from years of craning our necks over computers and smartphones.

Yoga also helps improve flexibility and mobility by actively stretching our muscle tissue. This helps to prevent injury and delays the aging process to some degree. Flexibility, mobility and balance become more and more important as we age in staying safe, healthy and autonomous, and yoga checks every box.

In addition to preventing injury, Yoga is also helpful in the healing process. Yoga helps to improve mobility, target and strengthen specific muscle groups, and reduce pain which makes it a perfect pairing to traditional physical therapy.

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Spirit

In addition to the many mental and physical rewards of practicing yoga, there are also a number of emotional and spiritual benefits as well. We already discussed that yoga helps to reduce stress, but it also serves as a positive coping mechanism in and of itself.

Yoga gives us a healthy way to process intense emotions and regulate nervous energy through physical exercise and the built-in positive community. Many people report more energy, better moods and a general sense of well being after practicing yoga.

Some people who practice yoga report having strong emotional reactions in certain poses, like Pigeon Pose or Corpse Pose – It’s fairly common to cry during yoga. Seasoned yogis claim that strong emotions can be stored in the body, and that hip and chest opening poses release those feelings in a physical way.

Perhaps as a byproduct of the mental and physical benefits, yoga can additionally help improve our self esteem and feelings of belonging. Going to an in person yoga class fosters a sense of community and comradery just by being in the room with people pursuing a common goal.

There are so many spiritual benefits to yoga, in fact, that it is occasionally recommended as supplemental treatment for depression and anxiety. While yoga can’t fix one’s genetics, it certainly helps us build the habits of mindfulness and help us exist in the present moment.

Just Be

Although there are seemingly endless benefits to practicing yoga, it is important to note that we get the most out of our practice when we’re not expecting a particular outcome.

Similar to meditation, the goal is to be as present as possible in the everchanging, razor thin moment. If we are too focused on lowering our blood pressure, or getting washboard abs, or ascending the physical realm, we will likely miss out on the magic that is happening right there on our mat: the sound of our breath, the beat of our heart, and the unfamiliar silence of our mind.

Yoga for Life

A solid routine that involves practicing yoga consistently will likely benefit both you and the people around you. Namaste.

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