Many people practice yoga to get the health benefits from it.
What are the health benefits that can be obtained by doing yoga regularly?
Physical Benefits
1. Flexibility
Yoga movements can help stretch and increase body flexibility.
Over time, you can improve the flexibility of your hamstrings, back, shoulders, and hips by doing yoga regularly.
2. Strength
Many yoga poses require you to support your own body weight, including balancing on one leg (as in Tree Pose) or supporting your body with your hands (as in Downward Facing Dog pose).
Some exercises require you to move from one pose to another which will also increase strength.
3. Develop muscles
In addition to training body strength, yoga can also increase muscle mass. With yoga, the muscles of the body will be tighter.
4. Prevents pain
Increasing flexibility and strength of the body can help prevent back pain.
Many people suffer from back pain from spending a lot of time sitting in front of a computer or driving a car.
Yoga can relax stiff bones and muscles, thereby preventing back pain.
5. Streamlining breathing
We generally breathe with the inhalation and exhalation of short breaths.
Yoga breathing practice, called Pranayama, pays attention to the breath and teaches how we can use our lungs to improve our health.
Breathing exercises can also help clear the nasal passages and even calm the central nervous system.
Mental Benefits
Yoga practice emphasizes concentration which can have a positive effect bringing peace of mind.
6. Mental Calm
Yoga also has useful meditation techniques to help calm the mind.
7. Reduce Stress
Yoga has the benefit of reducing stress. When you concentrate, everyday problems, both big and small, will melt away so that you will be free from stress.
Concentration can be a means of relaxing the mind that is needed by a stressed mind.
8. Body alert
Doing yoga will provide increased awareness and alertness of the body. There are many subtle yoga movements that can improve harmony.
Over time, you will become more comfortable with yourself and make you more confident.