Benefits Of Yoga

        Historically yoga was more than just a method of teaching; it was a way of life. You dedicated yourself to a lifestyle and culture that surpassed meditation techniques and included healthy eating habits, bathing habits, social interaction and work. Its philosophy is rooted in a physical culture of health and well-being that is still emphasised today at yoga retreats and explains why over 15 million people in the world now practise this ancient tradition.

Every yoga asana (pose) has a different name and includes standing postures, seated twists, backbends, arm balances, inversions and core holds. The downward facing dog for example, is in itself said to calm the brain, energise the body, improve digestion, strengthen arms and legs and be therapeutic for high blood pressure. Whilst these benefits come as a given with most postures, the practise of yoga as a whole provides many more benefits than you might think. There are a number of reasons why yoga can be great for your health. To celebrate World Yoga Day on Thursday June 21, we’ve come up with our top 4 reasons why yoga can add value to your life!


                                                 Yoga for flexibility, balance and coordination
Yoga can improve your core control and balance stability and these are key benefits that can come with mastering the practice.  By doing yoga regularly, you can increase your range of movement, as well as ease pressure on your joints. The long-term benefits of this include reducing the risk of an injury or fall, as well as making it easier to move about in your daily life.
 

                                                                                   

                   


                                                                             Yoga for strength and fitness
Even though yoga is considered a low-impact form of exercise, don’t let this fool you ,you can definitely work up a sweat and improve your fitness by doing it! Undertaking a regular dynamic yoga flow can strengthen and tone your body, as it works nearly all of your core muscles. During yoga, you’re required to hold yourself in one position for an extended period of time, as well as use your body weight and strength to move fluidly through poses. The more yoga you do, the more your body can tone and strengthen through the movements. Over time, a regular practice can help to increase muscle mass and lean out your body. If you’re looking for a gentle stretching routine, yoga can act as a calming LISS activity to help ease your mind and cope with life’s struggles. This can complement high-intensity exercise well, as it can help prevent sore muscles and improve muscle recovery.

                                                                               Yoga for mental health
One of the main elements of yoga is the interconnection of the mind and body through sequences, while focusing on your breath. Yoga teaches you to be present —in order to get through a class successfully, you need to concentrate on the poses that you’re completing. If you don’t, you might find yourself falling out of the pose! The more you learn to focus your mind during yoga, the better you can become at staying present in the moment, without letting your thoughts wander.

This concept is known as mindfulness. By developing better self-awareness of your thought-processes in class, you can then learn to do the same in life; in turn, you may find that this helps you to cope better with challenges that life throws at you.

                                                                                   Yoga for fat loss
An added benefit of becoming more mindful through yoga is the potential for fat-loss. While yoga might be a low-intensity form of exercise, it can help you become more aware of your body and mind connection.

This is where the concept of mindfulness can also come into play; studies have demonstrated that many people find a regular yoga practice helps them to be more mindful about their food choices and how they fuel their bodies. In the long-term, this related to them being more likely to maintain a healthy weight. The beauty of yoga is that it can be practiced pretty much anywhere, on your own or with other yoga enthusiasts.