The Benefits of Yoga
1. Yoga increases your wellbeing
Breathing exercises are an integral part of yoga. Usually, we breathe unconsciously and shallowly. However, breathing exercises can help to create awareness of our breath. This strengthens one’s centeredness and mental clarity. Body, mind, and soul are brought into harmony.
2. Yoga improves your concentration
In daily life, it is often difficult to be focused and concentrated. We often tend to do too many things at the same time. This lack of concentration, unfortunately, results in the job not being done well. Yoga can teach you to regain this focus by focusing on your breath or your body. The attention is drawn to one point, and thus, we stop being distracted by multiple things simultaneously. Learning how to regain the focus can be immensely helpful in everyday life: Whenever you feel like your thoughts are drifting away, breathe in deeply, and become aware of how your breath is flowing. The focus on your breath will help you to relax the body and bring clarity to your mind.
3. Yoga mobilizes, stretches, and relieves tension
In the various postures — asanas — the entire body muscles are carefully stretched. Extensive stretching exercises ensure that the connective tissue, the so-called fasciae, is also stretched — these sheaths our organs, muscles, bones, brain, and spinal cord. Further, the asanas allow you to loosen adhesions, tension, and promote blood circulation. You will notice how tensions in the lower back and shoulder girdle will relax.
5. Yoga strengthens the whole body
For example, the sun salutation is a beautiful full-body workout that strengthens your entire body muscles, i.e., your back, stomach, legs, arms, and joints. Therefore, yoga exercises improve your physical fitness and tone your muscles. Yoga relieves your back, expands your chest, opens your shoulders.
6. Yoga trains balance
In many asanas, you are challenging your balance. The combination of strength, stability, and stamina, as well as equilibrium and balance, brings your entire system into balance. This not only counts for your muscles but also your endocrine system. For instance, the child’s pose has a very calming and rejuvenating effect on the adrenal glands, which secrete hormones such as cortisol (stress hormone). As you get older, it is vital to exercise your balance. In this way, you prevent balance disorders such as dizziness and unsteady walking and can prevent falls.
7. Yoga stimulates digestion and detoxifies
Many toxins that you ingest through stress, environmental influences, or industrially manufactured food make you susceptible to infections, and you store acids in the tissue. Therefore, it is crucial to get your metabolism going. Twists, i.e., rotations around your axis help to relieve tension in the spine, especially in the lumbar area. Also, the rotations massage and stimulate your digestive organs and thereby stimulate digestion. The bowel movement is activated, and food residues can be excreted more quickly without the formation of fermentation and other toxic substances. Relaxation exercises, meditation, and movement — central components of yoga — reduce stress and detoxify the entire organism, which can also help you to lose weight.
8. Yoga enhances organ perfusion
Stretching and strengthening exercises stimulate your blood circulation. The additional breathing exercises reinforce this effect. Organs, nervous systems, and glands are better supplied with nutrients and find their natural function again. According to some studies, high blood pressure patients lowered their blood pressure significantly by practicing yoga. Other studies have shown a connection with blood lipid levels. Accordingly, increased cholesterol levels could be substantially improved through yoga.
