By Sejal Shah┃Posted: May 28, 2019
Yoga is often misunderstood as being limited to asanas or poses, and its benefits are only perceived to be at the physical level. However, by misrepresenting yoga in this way, we forget the immense benefits yoga offers in uniting the body, mind, and breath. When you are in harmony, the journey through life is calmer, happier and more fulfilling. So if you are keen to lose weight, develop a strong and flexible body, or find peace, yoga can help you achieve it all by improving your health holistically—physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
The top 10 health benefits of yoga
1. Yoga for all-around fitness
As Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar puts it, “Health is not a mere absence of disease. It is a dynamic expression of life – in terms of how joyful, loving, and enthusiastic you are.” Yoga poses, pranayama (breathing techniques) and meditation are a holistic fitness package. The benefits accrued by being a regular practitioner are numerous. These practices:
- Improve health
- Give mental strength
- Improve physical strength
- Protect from injury
- Detoxify the body
2. Yoga for better posture, flexibility and joint health
Yoga must become a part of your daily routine if you’d like to get a body that is strong, supple, and flexible. Regular yoga practice stretches and tones the muscles, and also makes them strong. It also helps improve your posture when you stand, sit, sleep or walk. This, in turn, helps relieve aches and pains due to incorrect posture. Yoga also helps joint health and thus helps to prevent arthritis and also relieve arthritic pains.
Try this now: Easy Relaxing Yoga Sequence for Healthy and Flexible Joints, Energetic Body and Peace of Mind.
3. Yoga for weight loss
Sun Salutations and Kapalbhati (Shining skull breathing) are highly useful for losing weight. Moreover, with a regular practice of yoga, we learn to listen to our body and thus tend to become more sensitive to our body and its needs. This, in turn, helps us keep tabs on our food intake and body weight.
4. Yoga to improve immunity
Our system is a seamless blend of the body, mind, and spirit. An irregularity in the body affects the mind, and similarly, unpleasantness or restlessness in the mind can manifest as an ailment in the body. Yoga is one of the most effective and time-tested natural immunity boosters that can lead to a healthy, sickness-free body. Yoga lowers stress hormones and strengthens the nervous system while also stimulating the lymphatic system, which removes toxins from the body. According to Psychology Today, new research published in the Journal of Behavioral Medicine suggests that yoga can be helpful way to boost your immune system and decrease inflammation in the body.
5. Yoga improves cardiovascular health
By lowering blood pressure, increasing lung capacity, improving heart rate, and boosting blood circulation, regular yoga practice can keep your heart healthy so that it can function optimally. According to a study published in the European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, people who suffer from irregular heartbeats (atrial fibrillation) experienced lower blood pressure and more regulated heart rates after practicing yoga for 12 weeks.
6. Yoga to increase energy
Do you feel completely drained by the end of the day? Shuttling through chores and multitasking continuously can be quite exhausting. A few minutes of yoga every day boosts our energy level and keeps us fresh. A 10-minute free online guided meditation in the middle of a hectic day is all you need to charge up your batteries.
7. Yoga for inner peace and stress relief
We all love to visit peaceful, serene spots that are rich in natural beauty. Little do we realize that peace can be found right within us and we can take a mini vacation to experience this any time of the day. Yoga is also one of the best ways to calm a disturbed mind. A few minutes of yoga daily can be a great way to get rid of stress, both in body and mind. A few minutes of yoga postures, pranayama (breathing techniques) and guided meditation are effective techniques to release stress.
8. Yoga to live with greater awareness
The mind is constantly involved in an activity, swinging from the past to the future but never staying in the present moment. By simply being aware of the mind’s tendency, we can save ourselves from getting stressed or worked up. Yoga and pranayama help create that awareness and bring the mind back to the present moment, where it can stay happy and focused.
9. Yoga to improve intuition
Yoga and meditation have the power to improve your intuitive ability so that you spontaneously realize what needs to be done, when and how, to yield positive results. Since Yoga is a continuous process, it is recommended to keep practicing. The deeper you go into yoga practice, the more profound its benefits will be.
Find out more about the Art of Living’s special Intuition Program for your kids.
10. Yoga for better relationships
Yoga can even help improve your relationships with your loved ones. A mind that is relaxed, happy and content is better able to deal with sensitive relationship matters. Yoga and meditation aids in keeping the mind happy and peaceful. Gradually, you will also notice an improvement in your relations with those around you.
Practicing yoga helps develop the body and mind, yet is not a substitute for medicine. It is essential to learn and practice yoga under the supervision of a trained Yoga teacher. In case of any medical condition, practice yoga only after consulting your doctor and a Sri Sri Yoga teacher.
Find a Sri Sri Yoga course at an Art of Living Center near you.
Write to us at programs@us.artofliving.org to receive more information on our programs or to share feedback.
Part of this article originally published on Art of Living, India.
Sejal Shah, E-YRT 500 Sri Sri Yoga Teacher, YACEP, Art of Living Teacher, NYU Post Graduate Medical School approved Yoga-CME retreat facilitator, Mind-Body Wellness Writer, Homeopath
