In the last ten years, yoga’s popularity has greatly increased. In the United States, yoga is a well-known activity that is commonly promoted as a healthy lifestyle option. As a result of their yoga practice, many people have reported improved physical and mental health.
Yoga can help manage chronic illness, especially pain but if you are not comfortable contact Specialty Care Clinics for quality treatment.
CALM YOUR MIND
The word yoga is derived from the Sanskrit word “yuj” which means to connect or reunite the mind, body, and soul. The sage Patanjali created the first yoga text over 2,000 years ago in India. As Patanjali explained, yoga is about “citta-vrtti-nirodhah,” or “stilling the mind”. This was accomplished via a combination of breathing exercises, meditation, physical exercise, body purification techniques, and ethical and moral principles for living a meaningful life.
The original Patanjali yoga has been altered over time by numerous yoga teachers, creating diverse forms with varying levels of focus and intensity. There are more calming positions in restorative yoga. The emphasis of Iyengar yoga is on accuracy and perfect body alignment. Individuals with different physical abilities can choose from these styles. The majority of yoga forms that are taught in the U.S. now generally include postures, breathing techniques, and sometimes meditation.
HOW DOES YOGA BENEFIT YOUR PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH?
Yoga improves one’s flexibility and strength as it involves physical movements. Researchers found that eight weeks of yoga increased muscle strength in the elbow and knee by 10%–30% in a study with healthy untrained volunteers. Also, there was a 13%–188% increase in hip, shoulder, and ankle joint flexibility. Yoga also has a variety of less obvious but significant advantages. According to research, practicing yoga helps lower heart disease risk factors like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and abdominal obesity. According to studies, the balance, mobility, cognitive function, and general quality of life of older persons have significantly improved.
Yoga is also effective in managing pain. According to research, yoga can lessen the discomfort of headaches, osteoarthritis, neck pain, and low back pain. In fact, the American College of Physicians promotes yoga as one of the primary non-pharmaceutical treatment alternatives for chronic low-back pain.
Yoga has a number of benefits for mental wellness as well. According to research, frequent practice over the time of eight to twelve weeks can moderately reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression as well as help in stress management.
EXERCISE AND MINDFULNESS
Mindfulness focuses on your ability to be fully aware of your senses and emotions in the present moment without analyzing or judging them. Researchers have found that many benefits are related to the physical activity element and are similar to benefits from other forms of exercise like running weightlifting, or calisthenics. However, yoga practice includes awareness as a key component, unlike these other activities. Yoga increases one’s awareness of the body’s sensations and the present moment by focusing on managing breath, maintaining postures, and practicing meditation.
According to studies, mindfulness training can help people become more self-aware and able to identify and manage emotional stress. Increasing mindfulness through yoga can help people better recognize and respond to fullness when eating, reduce binge eating, and alleviate body image concerns.
WAYS TO PRACTICE MINDFULNESS
- Observe- Pay attention to your surrounding with all senses.
- Live in the present moment- Try to intentionally bring open, accepting, and discerning attention to all you do.
- The same way you would treat a friend, treat yourself the same way.
- Observe your breathing- Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and remove all negative thoughts from your mind.
- Pay attention to your breath as you inhale and exhale.
Yoga is appropriate for people of various ages, body kinds, and physical but it may not be beneficial to all medical issues. Although yoga is safe, there is a chance of injury as it is a form of exercise. If you are practicing yoga, perform it under the guidance of a qualified instructor.