In today’s fast-paced and competitive world, it’s no wonder so many of us are suffering from ailments such as stress, anxiety, and depression. While all of these are mental health issues, they certainly do contribute towards one’s physical health, or rather its decline.
Yoga, due to the different movements, stretching, and exercise involved, encourage the body and mind to relax and promotes a healthier lifestyle. It’s no wonder why it’s so popular in today’s social media culture that promotes positivity and a healthy lifestyle.
Today, we’re going to go over the different benefits of yoga to the body and one’s overall physical health.
Improved blood circulation
Due to the extended poses and physical exertion sometimes associated with them, Yoga gets the blood flowing throughout the body. With this increased circulation, oxygen flows easier to all the parts of the body, keeping all the body’s systems well-nourished at all times with necessary nutrients. For example, twisting poses would promote blood flow to the organs of the torso, flowing fresh oxygenated blood to the lungs, heart, and bowels.
Heart rate
While this may not apply to all yoga poses, those which are aerobic in nature would promote blood flow to the heart as it would get your heart pumping. Your heart rate lowers over time as a result which increases endurance and increases the concentration of oxygen in the blood.
Better joints and bones
Yoga puts the body’s bones and joints through full ranges of motion, which causes the cartilage to soak up more nutrients than they normally would. With this range of motion, the cartilage, which usually is not in much use, are also somewhat stretched and “used” which would increase blood flow and overall nutrient delivery. This results in healthier joints and bones.
Improved muscle tone
While yoga may not seem to be strenuous exercise, it nonetheless has a significant impact on your body’s muscle tone. In fact, when you’re holding poses for minutes at a time, your muscles do go through a tremendous amount of strain and are constantly engaged. With such physical activity, why wouldn’t your muscles be better toned as a result?
Hormone regulation
Studies have shown that yoga plays a great role in reducing cortisol levels. Cortisol is released when the body is in stress and once the stressful event is over, the residual cortisol in the body has a negative impact which has been linked to high blood pressure, resistance to insulin, and even depression. By keeping cortisol levels in check, yoga saves one from a lot of grief and pain.
Increased flexibility
The exotic and somewhat contortionist poses involved in yoga also have an impact on the body’s overall flexibility. Due to the stretched and, later on, relaxed muscles, a lot of the aches and pains you usually experience will slowly start to fade away as well.
As you can see, yoga truly does have benefits on one’s body and mind. For more information on yoga benefits, different poses, or just yoga in general, head on over to Yoga Warrior Life.
