The Many Benefits of Yoga

Studies have been conducted to clearly establish areas in which health benefits can be expected by an extended practice of yoga. These studies showed that yoga practitioners are most likely to see improvements in the areas of physiology, psychology, and biochemistry.

Furthermore, practitioners of yoga speak of a unification of the body, mind and spirit achieved through the practice of yoga exercises and breathing techniques.

An Ancient Way of Life

Yoga is not a recent development. It has been practiced for thousands of years, during which time people have greatly benefited from it.

One of the fundamental beliefs shared by yogis is that the mind and the body are a unified structure, which in a proper environment can find harmony and self-healing.

Demonstrated Health Benefits

Many doctors consider yoga to have therapeutic results, and recommend it for a number of illnesses and conditions, mainly related to the nervous system.

From the physiological point of view, extended yoga practice can benefit pulse rate, respiratory and blood pressure dysfunctions; can help stabilize the nervous system; can normalize gastrointestinal functions and endocrine function; can increase the range of motion in joints; can increase endurance level, energy level, immunity to diseases, and cardiovascular efficiency; can improve eye-hand coordination, reaction time, dexterity, depth perception, sleep, etc.

Yoga’s psychological benefits include enhanced somatic and kinesthetic awareness, self-acceptance and self-actualization, social skills, well-being, improved concentration, memory, attention, mood, learning efficiency, etc.

As for the biochemical benefits of yoga, tests have shown decreased glucose, sodium, cholesterol, and total white blood cell count, as well as remarkable increases of vitamin C, total serum protein, and hemoglobin.

Deep Organ and Joint Stimulation

Various studies revealed that yoga exercises are extremely effective at increasing joint flexibility, and at lubricating and strengthening the joints, ligaments and tendons. Another interesting finding is that yoga is one of the very few forms of exercise capable of massaging all the internal organs and glands, including the ones that are rarely stimulated during the lifetime of a person, such as the prostate. The stimulation and massaging of the internal organs proves to be extremely beneficial for health.

Elimination of Toxins

These ancient and efficient yoga techniques also provide a thorough detoxification of the body. Through stretching the muscles and performing a complete yoga workout that acts as a massage, yoga ensures the optimal blood supply to every organ. Consequently, toxins are eliminated from the body and certain undesired processes, such as aging, are considerably delayed.

All of these remarkable health benefits are only side-effects to the main benefit of yoga practice: the complete harmonization of body and mind.