Yoga

Many women at my workplace are practicing yoga. It started with only few women, but now there is a big group that’s started taking yoga classes. My coworkers praise it and say they couldn’t be without it now, knowing all the benefits of it. They say it makes them feel so good, but never mention what it is exactly that is so great about it. Since I’m curious by nature and wondering whether I should try it out myself or not. I have been reading a lot of articles about yoga and now I’m going to share my findings here.

Yoga is nothing new it has been practiced for more than 5,000 years. Yoga usually include some form of breathing technique, physical poses and possibly a meditation technique. Yoga combines both body and soul. The main focus is to maintain balance between your body, mind and spirit. There are many different types of yoga styles such as Pilates yoga, Bikram yoga, Power yoga, Ashtanga yoga, Hatha Yoga and Hot yoga. These are just few of the many different styles of yoga being taught today.

The Health Benefits of Yoga:

Improves muscle tone, flexibility, strength and stamina – regular yoga practice stretches and tones the body muscles and makes them strong.
Mental health and physical energy improves – by practicing yoga you will not just get physically fit but also mentally and emotionally balanced.
Reduces stress, tension and anxiety levels – creates sense of well-being and calm.
Boosts self-esteem – when the body and mind are balanced you feel better about yourself.
Improves concentration – yoga gives mind and body harmony through combination of meditation and breathing technique.
Weight loss – more vigorous yoga styles can provide a better workout than gentle yoga to lose weight. Yoga increases persons mindfulness and the way one relates to their body. Therefor individuals will become more aware of what they are eating and make better food choices.
Improves blood-circulation – one of the benefits of doing yoga is the overall improvement in blood circulation. The focus on proper breathing during practice increases the flow of oxygen-rich blood.
Stimulates the immune system – Yoga poses massage organs and strengthen muscles; breathing techniques and meditation release stress and improve immunity.
Sleep improves – teaches you relaxation techniques, including breathing exercises and meditation which is very useful to help sleeping.
Pain decreases – long-term benefits include reduced back pain and improved posture.
Balance improves – yoga helps to improve the imbalance caused by incorrect use of our body parts by improving your posture.
Gastrointestinal function normalizes – because of improved blood circulation and the massaging effect of surrounding muscles speeds up the digestion.