Yoga is a mind and body practice with historical origins in ancient Indian philosophy. Like other meditative movement practices used for health purposes, various styles of yoga typically combine physical postures, breathing techniques, and meditation or relaxation.
Workout fads come and go, but virtually no other exercise program is as enduring as yoga. It’s been around for more than 5,000 years. Yoga does more than burn calories and tone muscles. It’s a total mind-body workout that combines strengthening and stretching poses with deep breathing and meditation or relaxation.
A few minutes of yoga a day can relax both your body and mind by releasing tension. Yoga not only keeps the joints healthy but also brings relief to those suffering with arthritis. You must always listen to your body in yoga and modify poses based on your own physical condition.
There are eight energy centres or ‘chakras’ in the body through which humans absorb cosmic energy. Yoga can purify these and keep the positive life energy flowing. The chakras start from the base through to the spine and the crown. It can help boost the immune system, reduce the risk of heart disease and can also reduce food craving which causes us to over eat. The latter because yoga increases our awareness of the physical and emotional sensations associated with eating. You can also lose extra pounds in a yoga session, the sun salutations (surya namaskar) is an exercise especially effective for weight loss.
Studies claim that yoga can be a type of therapy used to benefit people living with depression, schizophrenia, OCD and other similar conditions. It is also beneficial for those suffering with sleep disorders. You might wonder how? Yoga poses stimulate the regular secretion of hormones from the endocrine glands thus promoting overall physical and emotional health.
As yoga relieves stress it is beneficial for couples who are trying for a baby as it improves the endocrine activity of ovaries and testes. It also has immense anti-aging benefits by strengthening the core, toning muscles, improving cardiovascular function helping in the secretion of hormones and flushing out toxins from the body.
Yoga has also been known to even beat a hangover! Certain poses like fish, shoulder stand and plow work on the thyroid gland to help get rid of that hangover feeling!
There are so many different types of yoga the main ones being Anusara, Ashtanga, Bikram, Hatha, Iyengar, Kripalu, Restorative and Viniyaga.
Why not add yoga to your fitness regime for 4-6 weeks, give it a go to see additional benefits and improved results in your training regime.