Meaning 'union' in Sanskrit, yoga is the name of a practice that came from India, and involves the control of the mind, body and breath. Sessions can involve meditation, breathing exercises and holding specific bodily positions; and it often involves doing all three of these at once. While science has not yet accounted for how, yoga is widely thought to be of benefit to the mind and the body.
Muscle strengthening and toning are among the physical advantages. Often requiring you to take your own weight on certain limbs, yoga positions are often moved between slowly which tones and strengthens muscles. It can also provide protection from injuries in other activities, by stretching your limbs and making them strong. Jobs that involve sitting at a computer for hours on end can cause back problems, but yoga has certain postural benefits that can prevent this.
The breathing exercises are beneficial to the body as well. Prior to yoga training many people breathe shallowly and so do not fully utilise their lungs. Focusing on breathing and utilising lungs better not only increases the amount of oxygen, which benefits the whole body, but also helps relax the body.
And those are just the physical benefits! Yoga also causes mental relaxation. Exercise in general helps with this and relieves stress, but unique to yoga is practice of closely focusing on what the body is doing, which allows you to let go of your thoughts and promote general mental calmness. The focus on being in the moment, rather than worrying about the future or regretting the past, is something that can spill over into everyday life and can lead to a more pleasurable and less stressful life.
Becoming so comfortable with your body and the way it moves can really help promote self confidence as well. On top of all these seemingly limitless benefits, it has a quality that we could all use a lot more of: it is fun.
Muscle strengthening and toning are among the physical advantages. Often requiring you to take your own weight on certain limbs, yoga positions are often moved between slowly which tones and strengthens muscles. It can also provide protection from injuries in other activities, by stretching your limbs and making them strong. Jobs that involve sitting at a computer for hours on end can cause back problems, but yoga has certain postural benefits that can prevent this.
The breathing exercises are beneficial to the body as well. Prior to yoga training many people breathe shallowly and so do not fully utilise their lungs. Focusing on breathing and utilising lungs better not only increases the amount of oxygen, which benefits the whole body, but also helps relax the body.
And those are just the physical benefits! Yoga also causes mental relaxation. Exercise in general helps with this and relieves stress, but unique to yoga is practice of closely focusing on what the body is doing, which allows you to let go of your thoughts and promote general mental calmness. The focus on being in the moment, rather than worrying about the future or regretting the past, is something that can spill over into everyday life and can lead to a more pleasurable and less stressful life.
Becoming so comfortable with your body and the way it moves can really help promote self confidence as well. On top of all these seemingly limitless benefits, it has a quality that we could all use a lot more of: it is fun.
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