Why Is Yoga So Good for Me?
What is Yoga?
Yoga is more than a passing fancy; it is a form of exercise that more and more people are trying … and liking. Yoga is aimed at united the mind, body and spirit and experienced yogis know that if the right kind of yoga is performed, the body and mind can find harmony and heal many physical ailments. The practice of yoga makes you become more aware of your posture and movement patterns. It increases flexibility and many yogis say that it helps them relax when they are stressed. In fact, the reason that most people begin yoga is for these reasons. Yoga has been practice for thousands of years and it is based on observations and principles about the connection between mind and body. Modern medicine is catching up to what yogis have known for a long time; that there are physiological, psychological, and biochemical benefits to practicing yoga.
What are the Physiological benefits of Yoga?
- Decreases in pain, pulse rate, blood pressure, and respiratory rate
- Increased gastrointestinal function, flexibility and joint range of motion
- Increased endurance, energy, immunity
- Improvements in endrocrine function, sleep, and posture
What are the Psychological benefits of Yoga?
- decreases in anxiety, depression, and anger
- Increases in positive mood, concentration, memory, and attention
What are the Biochemical benefits of Yoga?
- decreases in blood levels of glucose, sodium, cholesterol
- increases in good cholesterol, hemoglobin, and thyroxin
Why is Yoga a different type of exercise?
Lastly, yoga is different than other forms of exercise. Because it focuses on slower movements and holding a certain position, it helps to improve joint movement and balance. These activities stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest) and the subcortical regions of the brain. These systems induce an overall feeling of relaxation, but also reduce neurohormones that travel throughout the body to improve function of all our organs. Also, because movements are slow there is less chance of injury. On the other hand, most typical exercises stimulate the cortical regions of the brain and the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight), inducing a feeling of excitable energy. Because a lot of typical exercise programs use rapid and explosive movements, the potential for injury increases. Yoga is a good type of exercise for people who want to improve their balance and flexibility, people who are recovering from car accident injuries, and people are who just looking to live a healthy lifestyle. The great thing about yoga is that there is a lot of choices and modifications you can make with the yoga poses to accomodate your abilities.
