Lifetime benefits of Yoga

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“Yoga means addition – an addition of energy, strength, and beauty to body, mind, and soul.”

–Amit Ray, Meditation: Insights and Inspiration

Yoga is a perfect combination of physical, mental and spiritual well-being. Since it is practiced from ancient times, one can easily notice the effects on the body of those who practice yoga regularly. There are different styles of yoga like Vinyasa, Ashtanga, Hatha, Iyengar, Kundalini yoga etc. All these styles have their own significance and are performed for the betterment of the body and mind. It was suggested by the Prime Minister of India to the United Nation in 2014, that June 21 should be celebrated as International Yoga Day, as it is the longest day of the year.  We published an interesting article  on International Yoga Day last year bringing some amazing stories about Yoga.

There are numerous benefits of yoga in our daily life, but in this article, we are going to look at the basic changes yoga can bring in your life:

Fitness: A healthy body has an equilibrium of body fitness, mental fitness and spiritual well- being. Yoga targets all these three components at the same time. Yoga poses and Pranayamas are a wholesome package for holistic wellbeing. Being regular with your yoga exercises will improve your mental health and you will also restore your physical strength. You can watch 5 great yoga poses for abs here.

Flexibility: Yoga become extremely important for runners and people practicing other sports. Yoga poses brings flexibility and gives you opportunity to stretch your muscles which result in lesser injuries while running or playing other sports. Regular yoga classes will loosen your tight muscles and increase flexibility which will lower the chances of injury. You can read in detail about Yoga for Running Injury – Plantar Fasciitis here.

Weight loss: Obesity is a major problem nowadays. Being an 8-hour desk worker and having lazy weekends are usually the reasons people gain weight. It might be tough to manage a gym with all this, but you can practice yoga from home as well. By doing simple exercises like kapalbharti, anulom vilom and surya namaskar can help in cutting off a few inches, and with regularity, you can say goodbye to extra pounds forever. Also, with regular practice of yoga, we become sensitive to our body needs and functions and keep the process of food intake in check. You can see this youtube video for weight loss through yoga for thighs and glutes.

Reduction in mental pressure: Modern lives might have increased the paying capacity of an individual but in return has increased the stress levels by a huge margin. One cannot simply eradicate stress from life, but with yoga, you can reduce stress levels and save you from falling into depression. A few minutes of meditation will calm your mind and will accumulate inner peace. You may like to read this article on how to start doing focused breathing that gradually leads us to meditation.

Improving relationships: Yoga helps you restore mental balance, which enables you to feel contented with self. You feel happy and relaxed, this, in turn, makes you perform better and manage issues either at workplace or home, with ease and calmness. Yoga is one of the few things which you can include even while you are traveling with your family. Read how I have fun incorporating yoga during her family vacations.

Understanding of Yoga isn’t just restricted to Asanas (yoga poses), it is beyond that. There are so many benefits that Yoga has to offer to an individual, and the best thing about yoga is that it can be practised by any age group. Practising Yoga from the initial stages of life is highly beneficial as it helps in the formation of a strong immune system. Yoga, along with Dhyana or meditation trains you to discipline your mind and get a control of your senses and wellbeing. Being regular with yoga practice, helps you to remove toxins from your body and mind. So, welcome yoga in your lifestyle and start your journey towards living a healthier life.