The pursuit of yoga is said to help with flexibility, relaxation, and fitness but it can deliver much more than that. There are numerous other benefits of yoga that not everyone is aware of. But is it addictive as well, and if so is it a good thing?
Benefits of Yoga
Here are the five reasons why you will keep coming back to your yoga class:
1. The Practice of Yoga Cultivates A Resilient Mind
Practicing yoga requires you to breathe deeply and hold uncomfortable poses during sessions that last an hour or more. Despite the difficulty of maintaining such contorted positions, most people are still able to focus and finish the class.
This resilience to discomfort is actually teaching you how to deal with unpleasant circumstances in your life.
Rather than fighting against your problems, you learn to acknowledge the situation, assess what needs to be done and move forward with your life. Sooner or later, you will realize that the stress and other problems will simply pass just as quickly as they came, and you can apply this technique in handling other difficult situations in your life.
2. It Helps Develop a Fitter Body
Yoga is an effective and comprehensive practice of improving your physical fitness by building strength, stability, balance, and flexibility.
As you continue to incorporate yoga into your holistic lifestyle, you will soon improve your fitness level and develop leaner muscles efficiently. And because yoga involves extensive physical efforts, your endorphin levels will elevate – achieving that blissful feeling after every session.
3. Alleviates Stress
If you have tried yoga before, you surely are familiar with the “zen” feeling at the end of every session. Now, where does this feeling of peace and tranquility come from?
The “zen” state you get after a yoga session is caused by Gamma-aminobutyric acid, also known in medical jargon as GABA. It is a chemical messenger within your nervous system that informs your brain to calm down and relax.
According to a study by The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, yoga has the ability to elevate GABA levels. In this study, the participants practiced yoga for an hour. As a result, their GABA levels increased by 27 percent.
This effect from yoga can also help treat patients with severe anxiety and depression as they are known to have low levels of GABA.
4. It is Fun
Apart from stretching your muscles, it is quite fun to see yourself curl, and stretch in many different sometimes weird unusual ways. As you become more flexible by regularly practicing your hobby, your balance will gradually improve, leaving you the impression of getting a lighter body.
With yoga, even the stiffest person on the planet can learn how to loosen up, bend down and twist like a rubber band.
5. Keeps You Young and Healthy
Apart from genetic conditions, younger adults typically do not experience joint and ligament problems. But as you grow older, your joints will eventually stiffen and your ligaments will shorten, causing a problem called arthritis as well as joint pain, and possibly injuries
When this health issue begins, joint pain can range from tolerable to unbearable and can possibly cause the person to lose his or her freedom to stay mobile. People suffering from joint and muscle problems generally have a harder time to live a healthy lifestyle.
Unlike any other forms of physical activity, yoga provides positive flexibility benefits to your wrists, shoulders, neck, joints, ankles, and spine. It keeps your body agile, and active. The health benefits of yoga will make you feel like you never aged, even a day.
Some people claim that there are some magical moments on the yoga mat. Somehow, you get to know yourself more and know why you need to push your physical boundaries at some point.
If you are feeling stressed and overwhelmed with your life right now, yoga can be a solution to a peaceful mind, a stronger body and a positive attitude towards the trials and tribulations of life.
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Millie Turner
Millie Turner is a Biology major currently juggling school, work and writing. She is passionate about animals and living a healthy lifestyle. She practices yoga since she was fourteen and takes interest in the culinary arts to learn more about how to prepare good food that impacts a person’s health.
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