Experience the Health Benefits of Yoga
by Charlotte Bradley
In today’s hectic world we’re always on the go. If we’re not thinking about the projects laid out for us tomorrow at work, we’re worried about getting the kids off to school or to karate lessons or just to bed… When the day is over, there is little or no time left to unwind before it all begins again. If you’re looking for a way to take back control of your life and get in shape, yoga just might be the perfect solution for you.
Practiced for thousands of years in India, yoga has been growing in popularity in the western world as we have seen and experienced the many benefits it has to offer. This popularity is not surprising. More than just another workout, yoga strengthens and shapes your body while relaxing your mind. By combining muscle-building movements and poses with structured deep breathing and meditation, yoga teaches you control, focus, and mental clarity while training your body to better handle whatever the world throws at you.
Aligning the Spine
Gentle, low-impact exercise targets specific muscle groups and focuses on aligning your spine.
Good posture…
- helps alleviate muscle tension and lower back pain.
- allows blood to flow more easily, in turn oxygenating all areas of the body.
- prevents muscle fatigue.
- makes you look and feel better.
Standing and sitting tall also creates room for internal organs, alleviating compression and allowing them to function optimally. This benefits your digestive, circulatory and endocrine systems. Your immune system is strengthened making you better able to fend of colds, viruses and other infection and better prepared to fight off any ailments that do take hold.
Stress Relief
An often overlooked aspect of yoga is the breathing and relaxation techniques it teaches you. By calming your mind and increasing your lung capacity, yogic breathing lowers your heart rate, relaxes your body, makes more oxygen readily available to your cells, and allows your mind to let go of all of the pesky little annoyances that keep you on the go all of the time. Even if you “don’t believe in meditation” simply relaxing, breathing deeply, and shutting out the world allows you to focus on the truly important tasks at hand while tuning out all of the white noise. Not to mention, sometimes we just need to escape for a bit! Studies have found that yoga improves mental alertness and even boosts your ability to remember new things.
Medicinal Benefits
Yoga exercise and breathing can improve levels of cholesterol and triglycerides, lower your blood pressure, decrease your risk for heart disease, and alleviate symptoms of arthritis. It has also been used effectively in the treatment of depression and insomnia. (Timothy McCall’s, Yoga as Medicine, provides an excellent, in-depth discussion on the medicinal value of yoga.)
Stretching and Strengthening
All of these benefits occur while also building muscle and increasing flexibility to help you feel better than ever. Stretching your muscles and ligaments in yoga postures helps increase range of motion while keeping joints lubricated and supple – less prone to injury. Postures held over long periods of time increase strength. For example, in standing poses, strength and stamina builds in the legs as we practice holding these positions. Balance postures help strengthen the entire body and yoga also emphasizes the importance of building strong core muscles. By creating long, lean muscles, yoga shapes your body. This, along with a deeper awareness of how your body works can have profound effects on your body image.
Yoga is for everyone. It is easy to do, requires little equipment other than a sticky mat for comfort and safety, and is worth tenfold the time it takes from your day. I understand busy (I have a couple of energetic 5-year-old boys) and I am selective about what I choose to do with my time, but I believe yoga makes me a better person. It’s the perfect way to “reboot” your mind and strengthen your body to keep up with the kids! You don’t have to be an expert to enjoy it; that’s the beauty of yoga. There are enough variations out there that anyone can find a yoga style that gives them exactly what they need.
So the next time somebody mentions yoga to you, don’t be too quick to dismiss it. Give it a try, you might just love it.
Charlotte Bradley is an avid yoga practioner and the publisher of YogaFlavoredLife.com. She was a student of karate for many years and took up yoga tentatively after a knee injury persuaded her to find a less high-impact form of exercise. Surprised by just how quickly yoga sped her rehabilitation along, Charlotte quickly found that yoga techniques helped to bring balance (and sanity!) into her life. She lives in Ottawa, Ontario with her husband and twin boys, Charlie and Patty, who keep her on her feet and on the go. Her golden retriever supervises Charlotte’s yoga workouts from a spare mat, with his eyes closed.
