Yoga, an ancient practice, has become increasingly popular in today’s busy world. For many people of all ages, yoga provides a welcomed retreat from their otherwise frenzied lives. Whether you are practicing yoga in a studio or outdoors, yoga is known to provide a wide variety of mental and physical benefits.
There are many types of yoga, though the focus on breath and self-acceptance is universal across all types of yoga. Yoga helps one who practices with self-awareness, to help you develop breath and strength of mind and body.
The health benefits of yoga are extensive, but here are a few:
Mindful eating: mindfulness refers to a focus on the present moment, without judgment. Practicing yoga has been linked to mindful eating, which includes an awareness of what food looks, tastes and smells like, as well as an appreciation and enjoyment of the process of eating.
Weight loss: As an extension of the mindfulness that is encouraged in the practice of yoga, research has found that people who practice yoga are more in tune with hunger cues, the feeling of being full and an overall more positive relationship with food. In fact, reports indicate that people who practice yoga regularly have lost weight or gained less weight as they age, and have lower body mass indexes (BMIs) than those who do not practice yoga.
Cardiovascular: Several studies show yoga is linked to improved cardiovascular health, including lower blood pressure in persons who suffer from hypertension, improved lipid profiles in both healthy patients and persons with known coronary artery disease, and lower blood sugar levels in persons who have been diagnosed with non-insulin dependent diabetes.
Other known benefits of practicing yoga include:
- Stress relief
- Soothe tension
- Soothe anxiety
- Greater muscle strength
- Improved endurance
- Improved flexibility
- Improved cardio-respiratory fitness
- Better body image
- Improved self-esteem
Yoga can bring calm, mindfulness and many other health benefits to your busy life and nothing is more important than your health.