Yoga has endless benefits to every part of you and your life. Yoga has been around for 5000 years. What took you so long?
When you practice regularly, the health benefits become tangible and terrific. The yoga poses (asanas), breathing (pranayama), and meditation come together to provide a HUGE number of physiological and psychological improvements:
Physiological Benefits of Yoga
* increases muscle flexibility and joint range of motion
* increases muscular strength, endurance, and joint stability
* improves posture, steadiness, coordination, and balance
* decreases joint and back pain
* increases immunity
* improves sleep and increases energy levels
* decreases heart rate and increase cardiovascular efficiency
* decreases respiratory rate and improves respiratory efficiency
* reduces high blood pressure
* improves digestion and normalizes gastrointestinal function
* improves excretory functions and reduces constipation and Irritable Bowel Syndrome
* improves flow of lymphatic system, thus helps in removal of toxins
* normalizes endocrine (hormone) function
* normalizes weight and body composition
* increases bone density and decreases onset of osteoporosis
* decreases blood sugar levels
* decreases sodium
* decreases total cholesterol
* increases HDL (good) cholesterol /decreases LDL and VLDL (bad) cholesterol
* decreases triglycerides
* increases grip strength
* EEG – alpha brain waves increase leading to a restful mental state
* brings autonomic nervous system to stable equilibrium
* improves dexterity, reaction time, and depth perception
* increases Galvanic Skin Response (GSR)
Psychological Benefits of Yoga
* improves concentration and attention
* decreases anxiety, internal stress and depression
* improves mood and sense of well-being
* increases self-acceptance and self-actualization
* improves learning efficiency and memory
* increases somatic and kinesthetic awareness (body/mind connection)
* decreases aggression and hostility
* increases social skills
* improves depth perception
thank you to the wonderful YREC Yoga Research Education Center, Trisha Feuerstein www.yrec.org
