For those who have never practised yoga, it may appear to be just a trendy way to exercise. But if you’re thinking about starting, know this: it might just inspire you to start living your healthiest life. Here are seven ways that practising yoga can improve your mental, emotional, and physical health.
Inspires healthy eating
Getting your body moving on a daily basis can help you focus on your overall health. It motivates you to ensure that the rest of your daily practises, such as the fuel you put into your body, are in line with your healthy exercise. Even organic food no longer contains the same amount of nutrients as it once did, so it’s a good idea to look into supplements like antioxidant-rich red superfood powder, among others, to balance out your exercise and diet.
Mindful eating
Many people in today’s fast-paced society have eating disorders. This does not have to be extreme; rather, it can be more subtle, such as eating quickly and not allowing time for fullness to register. Yoga encourages you to develop your mindfulness, which may extend to not only being mindful about what you eat, but also being mindful while you eat.
Good for your mental health
If you take classes at a yoga studio or do more in-depth research, you’ll discover that yoga is much more than just a series of postures known as “asanas.” It is beneficial to your mental health. Meditation, breathing exercises, and mantras, combined with a yoga practise, will help you calm your mind and distinguish between positive and negative thinking.
The more you can do, the more you want to
When you start moving your body in new ways, you will most likely be inspired to see what else it can do. A good yoga teacher will offer modifications so that you can do each pose whether you are a beginner, intermediate, or advanced student. You can challenge yourself to perform other variations as you progress. Remember that a millimetre gained each week quickly adds up to a centimetre, and then to many centimetres.
Yoga affects the body in unexpected ways
Even if you practise gentle yoga, you will notice a difference in how yoga sculpts your body. This is more than just the way your clothes fit. When you start doing poses that require you to stand more erect, open your chest, and pull your shoulders back, you may be surprised at how it transforms your experience of your body.
Mind and the body relationship and your ability to detect problems before they occur
The unification of body and mind is another aspect of yoga. People often rush through life with no connection between body and mind. People spend so much time in their heads that when they exercise, they focus on pushing their bodies to the limit while ignoring any pain sensations. Yoga, on the other hand, works to integrate the body and mind. This can have significant health benefits because it makes you more likely to notice when your body is sick rather than having to wait until the problem is severe.
Medical professionals recommend yoga for cardiovascular health, stress
Take our word for it, but don’t just take our word for it. A number of studies on the benefits of yoga have been conducted, and many of these have been accepted by hospitals such as John Hopkins, one of the most prestigious medical centres in the United States. These advantages, in addition to strength and flexibility, include:
- Stress management
- Improved sleep
- Back pain relief
- Improved heart health
- Reduction of arthritis symptoms