Benefits Of Yoga: Why It Should Be Part Of Self-Care Routine In 2022

Now that a new year has turned, most of us have laid down our resolutions with renewed determination to actually abide by them. Your health, fitness levels, or weight loss is surely on top of your list as part of your commitment to self-care this year.

I’m sure you’re familiar with one of the healthiest and most beneficial way to achieve just that: yoga. Yoga is a means of relaxing the mind and the body while also strengthening the muscles. In this article, you will be learning about the many benefits of yoga and how it works. So what are you waiting for? Scroll down for more!

1)What Is Yoga?

Yoga can be defined as a set of spiritual, physical, and mental discipline that originated from ancient Indian philosophy. The combines breathing techniques, postures, relaxation, and meditation to achieve a well-balanced body, and healthy living.

Yoga has gained popularity as a category of physical exercises based on the benefits of yoga asanas Yoga asanas are positions or postures that participants do. The term “asana” literally translates to “to be seated in a firmed but relaxed position”. Asanas are known to promote awareness and control of the mind and body to enhance your overall well-being.

There are over 100 various forms and types of yoga that have been shown to provide different sets of benefits. Some of these are:

A. Hatha

This is the most famous yoga form that combines basic physical yoga postures and breathing techniques. Hatha yoga promotes the ability to master your body and your mind by withdrawing away from external stimuli.

B. Ashtanga

Ashtanga is a rigorous, nonstop movement done simultaneously with special breathing exercises to enhance strength and flexibility.

C. Vinyasa

This involves a series of twelve smooth-flowing yoga poses and synchronized breathing centralized over the sun salutation.

D. Power

Power yoga is a much faster high-intensity training to build muscle, boost metabolism, and increase calorie burn.

E. Bikram

Bikram or hot yoga includes doing 26 poses in a heated room for maximum calorie burn.

F. Iyengar

This yoga form utilizes props such as chairs, blankets, straps, and blocks to achieve the perfect body alignment and position.

Aside from these, other forms include prenatal, Kripalu, restorative, Kundalini yoga, and more.

2)Why Is It Important To Do Yoga?

According to certified yoga class instructor Ashleigh Sergeant, yoga is a perfect addition to a healthy lifestyle because the whole host of mental and physical benefits that it can offer. She says that regular yoga practice of as little as 15 minutes per day can sharpen your mind, strengthen your body, boost your energy and mood, and give you a sense of peace and calm.

Related: Yoga Facial Exercises : Get Natural Face Lift With These Yoga Poses.

3)Benefits Of Yoga And Meditation

The specific benefits of yoga are as follows:

A. Energy Boost

If your work, chores, or studies leave you completely drained and exhausted every day, a few minutes of yoga each day has been proven to boost your energy levels, without adding too much to your hectic schedule.

B. Improved Sleeping Habits

One of the most notable benefits of yoga in the morning is sound and better sleep. It has been found that getting up and doing yoga first thing in the morning gets your blood flowing and allows you to pay more attention to your sleeping time, giving you adequate rest.

C. Stronger Immune System

At least a week of yoga also helps boost your immunity by lowering the amount of stress hormones and strengthening your body’s natural ability to fight off infection and diseases.

D. Improved Digestion

Yoga also targets your parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for involuntary bodily functions such as digestion. It helps the body maintain balance and order, which aids in resolving digestive issues.

E. Sound Mental Health

The many mental benefits of yoga include allowing you to get in touch, take control, and be aware of your body as well as have the ability to achieve and maintain a peaceful and serene mindset. These functions are also related to your ability to make decisions, improve your relationships, relax your body, and be mindful of your own emotions.

F. Enhanced Flexibility And Improved Posture

Yoga also encourages you to stretch and challenge your body while doing various poses. This not only enhances your strength and flexibility, but also gives you a better standing, sleeping, walking, and sitting posture.

G. Improved Intuition

Intuition refers to your innate ability to realize your current situation, pinpoint problems, and come up with possible solutions. Many practitioners agree that yoga helped them make better decisions by knowing what needs to be done as well as when and how.

H. Stress Relief

The practice of yoga has been proven to directly affect your anxiety and stress levels. As with other meditation and mind-body intervention practices, yoga has been shown to help you relax, reduce stress, and reverse the damages of a chronically stressful life. Many scientific studies have also discovered that yoga can actually change gene expressions in the body related to its stress and inflammatory responses.

I. Lower Blood Pressure

A study by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania has found that yoga can help lower the blood pressure levels of people with mild to moderate hypertension. The results were even better than with people who took part in a walking, nutrition and weight counseling program.

J. Weight Loss

Good news! Yoga helps you lose weight as well, especially power yoga and hot yoga. All forms of yoga also allow you to become more sensitive to your body’s food needs and your meal times, which is important when you want to decrease or maintain your weight.

K. Reduced Risk Of Heart Failure

According to Harvard Health Publications, yoga also helps reduce your risk of developing cardiovascular diseases or heart disease by lowering high blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels.

These are the many benefits of yoga that will help you achieve a holistic wellness and fitness this year. Not only does it give you better mental, physical, and mental health, but it also protects you from chronic pain, injury, infections, and other diseases. So, why don’t you give it a try?

L. Reduced Chronic Neck And Back Pain

By maintaining a healthy posture, yoga can relieve your body from chronic pain. Several studies have found yoga to be effective in relieving chronic back and neck pain through proper alignment, pressure relief, and stretching, especially among adults and older people with lower back problems.

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