It was not long ago that yoga was just another fad fitness scheme that took the Western world by storm. Madonna and Cher endorsed it wholeheartedly and certified studios sprang up all over LA that promised to give you a world class yoga experience. However in a fickle world where fads are reinvented every second day, no one could have predicted the success with which this ancient form of exercise would have endeared itself to the highly modern western world. Now, celebs ranging from Kareena Kapoor to Emma Watson swear by it, and going by their eternal glow we tend to believe it. If a size zero figure or clear complexion is your goal, then by all means, give this magic miracle a try. But you should know those are only the surface benefits. If you dedicatedly practice yoga even a few times a week, the positive changes in your heart and mind will open up an entirely different quality of life. Some say it is too slow or boring to be adhered to, but what comes easy won’t last and what will last won’t come easy. Keeping that adage in mind, read these tips on how yoga will change your life and then put them in practice.
10. Flexibility
You may be fit, but if you have not been working on your stretches then chances are you are not very flexible. You may be able to run miles without panting, but can you reach your toes? Muscles that control flexibility are completely different from muscles that control strength. Once you start doing yoga then these, that have lain dormant for years, are awakened into activity. With consistency and practice, you’ll be able to prance and twirl like a gymnast.
9. Strength
Practising yoga can be a tremendous asset in increasing your strength and resiliency. It strengthens your core and gives you a higher level of threshold than any gym workout ever could. It enhances endurance so you can carry your other strength training up a notch. It tightens your muscles such that you will be far less prone ton injury. It synthesizes muscles so they can work in harmony. Muscles also have increased stamina this way.
8. Posture
Increased flexibility and strength naturally results in better posture which can be a real asset in keeping back problems away. The long standing and sitting exercise positions of yoga stretch and turn the deep abdominal muscles and extend your posture. Moreover, the body awareness that comes with dedicated yoga practice alerts your mind to physical slouchiness so you are able to remedy the situation.
7. Breathing Benefits
Deep breathing exercises are a signature yoga move that provides a host of benefits for your body and mind. It enhances your lung capacity to its maximum, subsequently increasing your endurance abilities. The deep long breaths fill the pores with oxygen, making the body feel optimally relaxed. This feeling helps dispel the epinephrine induced flight or fight response that incurs in human when stressed. It sets the mind in a perpetual state of calm clear sharpness.
6. Heart Benefits
Yoga increases the HDL cholesterol which is good for the heart while decreasing the negative VLDL and LDL cholesterols. It lowers the blood pressure and decreases the heart rate which greatly reduces the risk of high blood pressure, heart attacks and stroke. It boosts the immune system and fills the blood stream with valuable antioxidants. It also decreases triglyceride level in the blood that protects us from a great many harmful diseases.
5. Psychological Benefits
You will develop as much mental satisfaction from a consistent dependence on yoga as much as you do physical. After an intense yoga session, you will feel marvellously happy. Your mood will be much improved and you will experience a truly positive outlook in life. Researches claim that yoga improves the flow of oxygen to the brain and thus keeps depression at bay. Therapists use yoga as an adjunct method to treat obsessive compulsive disorders and attention deficit disorders.
4. Stress Benefits
Even the most inexperienced individuals who try yoga for the first time feel calm and relaxed after their very first session. Those who have been doing it for a while have likely forgotten the meaning of the word Stress. Yoga uses key techniques and mediation tactics that help silence the constant motion of the human mind that results in the stress we feel. Easy as it may sound, not thinking anything is the hardest thing to do. Yoga silences the mind and gives it a calm canvas to rest on. This harmonizes the body and mind beyond belief. Stress is a key causal factor of most common twenty first century diseases such as heart and brain problems, blood pressure, diabetes and other organ diseases. Practicing yoga protects you from being susceptible to them.
3. Neurological Benefits
When we practice yoga, the brain rewires itself into a healthier mode automatically, which consequently affects the body likewise. Balance is restored between the physical and neurological points of communication and an unrestricted flow of holistic energy occurs that soothes the mind, body and brain. Yoga also improves memory and learning, enhances cognitive abilities and clears vision. It improves coordination and depth perception manifold.
2. Biochemical Benefits
The biochemical benefits of yoga are too many to count. To give a cursory glance, it decreases glucose and sodium levels in the blood. ATPase, Haematocrit and Haemoglobin levels face an increase while lymphocyte and white blood cell count face a reduction. Thyroxin, Vitamin C and Protein Serums also increase heavily. The sympathetic nervous system dominates our subconscious, helping us lead a better quality of life.
1. Creativity And Intuition
Yoga reduces anxiety and depression and helps kill self-doubt. It increases somatic and kin-aesthetic awareness. As a result, self-acceptance and actualization become achievable boundaries which help us churn out the creative gems within us, that is unique in each and every individual. Social skills, well being, attention span and confidence improves by leaps and bounds while hostility levels face a total rejection. Tension in the mind and body eat away our cores, bury our instincts, and leave us as hollow shells rather than happy and vibrant human beings. Yoga dispels this stress and tension, thereby enhancing our powers of perception and intuition. It hones our nature given sense of instincts into a superfine level. This is the closest we can come to being superhumans.