What’s your daily routine? Most people’s routine will often involve waking up, make the bed, have a coffee, some breakfast and popping to the washroom to starting the day. Incorporating yoga into a routine whether its daily, two sessions a week or on a weekly basis, could really benefit your quality of life. Yoga routines and this greek website have shot up in popularity recently, many people from all walks of life are trying and partaking in yoga. In this article we have 7 scientifically proven benefits of yoga that might convince you to try it out.
Increase Strength
Holding your own body weight in different positions will help increase strength. Holding positions where the acting load of weight wouldn’t normally be will cause your body to adapt to this increase of stress in that position. Now stress doesn’t mean it’s going to be too hard for you to perform the position. There are varying levels and options to make it easier for you when you start. Begin with a few moves that can be done comfortably and then build on these as they become easier. There are multiple studies that confirm this. You can head over to 889 Yoga to know some more about it.
Improved Flexibility
Practising yoga for just 15-30 minutes a day will improve flexibility in targeted areas. Again, this is where you realise that the body is made for adapting. Studies show that holding a stretch and repeating this over time will allow your body to become comfortable with it meaning you will be able to stretch a little further. This has been demonstrated in studies of adults of all ages, ranging from collage adults to pensioners in studies that compare yoga to other activity’s such as calisthenics (a type of body weight exercise).
Better Brain Health
Studies that used Hatha yoga showed an increase of better mental function based on the increase of grey matter in the brain particularly with an aging sample. This study also showed more cortical thickness in regular yoga practitioners, cortical thickness is associated with higher intelligence. Hatha yoga is focused on the connection of breathing and movement as well as meditation.
Decrease Stress
A group of women who perceived themselves as emotionally distressed were used for a study where they measured their levels or cortisol. Cortisol is the primary stress hormone secreted by the body. After 3 months they had significantly less cortisol and other mental benefits, this effect has been demonstrated in an array of studies focusing primarily on yoga.
Corrects Irregular heart beats
According to a journal published by the American College of Cardiology in 2013, Atrial Fibrillation experiences reported by patients dropped drastically among patients who engaged in regular yoga sessions to half the number they had at the beginning of treatment. AFib is a condition characterized by abnormal heart rhythm. Because of the irregular beating of the heart, this condition is responsible for stroke and other significant heart conditions.
May Help Fight Depression
There are some studies that show yoga could have anti-depressant effect which could help decrease symptoms of depression. This could be as yoga can help decrease the amount or cortisol a stress hormone that influences levels of serotonin, the neurotransmitter often associated with depression. It also helps with social interaction which can help benefit you if you suffer with depression alone or with traditional methods.
Improves Problem Solving and Memory
When we are stressed and facing pressures from work and home life, we can find that we lose the ability to think rationally and solve basic problems. Studies conducted in the USA shows that practicing Yoga twice a week could help the synapses in the brain create new pathways. It is this creation of new pathways that can help us with problem solving, this coupled with the reduction of the stress hormone, cortisol, can help us think more rationally. Furthermore, practicing yoga was also shown to help increase memory, it is not understood how this works yet, but it is thought that chanting involved in some practices helps promote memory function and recovery.
Final Thoughts
Yoga can be a satisfying and toughly enjoyable pastime that you can easily incorporate into your daily routine. Morning or evening, setting aside time and making room in your day to fit a 15-30 minute yoga routine is quite achievable. It doesn’t have to be everyday it can be just once or twice a week and you could soon be reaping the benefits for yoga. There are many different types of yoga available, so you will be able to find one that suits your needs. Some types have a combination of different positions and emphasis on breathing, meditation and stretching. You will be able to find a type that can help you work on certain areas that you want to improve. Try yoga and see if you can take advantage of the benefits as proven by science.
A professional writer with over a decade of incessant writing skills. Her topics of interest and expertise range from health, nutrition and psychology.