The Health Benefits of Yoga
Today, yoga is practiced in homes, gyms, exercise studios and general purpose rooms at nursing homes, schools and military bases. It is promoted as a form of exercise and deep relaxation, a great activity for those who have virtually any ailment, ranging from diabetes to high blood pressure, heart disease to arthritis. The students range from young teens to the elderly, professionals to pregnant women, all seeking to gain strength and flexibility.
Some of the acknowledged benefits of yoga may surprise those who feel it is all about sitting and deep breathing. Here are a few:
- Muscle strengthening – Yogis use the body’s weight as the resistance in a lot of yoga exercises. This builds strength without losing flexibility, a key benefit of yoga.
- Helps with posture -- Poor posture can cause problems with the back and neck as well as other muscle and joint issues. Yoga will strengthen those areas and helps align the spine.
- Cartilage and joint benefits -- The range of motion that most yoga classes put practitioners through will help achieve flexibility that helps prevent degenerative arthritis by squeezing joints and allowing areas of cartilage that aren’t normally activated to receive attention.
- Helps protect the spine -- Spinal discs crave movement to get nutrients from the body. By doing forward bends, back bends and twists, the spine stays supple and the discs fresh.
- Bone health -- Weight-bearing exercises have been shown to help shield the body from the effects of osteoporosis. Popular movements like downward and upward-facing dog help strengthen arm bones and increase bone density.
- Increased blood flow - Like any intense exercise, yoga gets the blood flowing, sending more oxygen to the cells and wringing out venous blood from internal organs.