Yoga is a meal for the soul and the body. If performed daily, it can strengthen one’s spirit and health and improve emotional well-being as well. With its growing popularity, it is unmistakable that Yoga comes with great benefits that can unlock new mental and physical arenas. The power of traditional Yoga might have been realized in the recent past in the West but it has been the secret to the long and healthy lives of many in the Orient.
It is an accessible form of practice that anyone can learn and perform; whether young or old. From Hatha Yoga, one of the most popular types of Yoga that involves pranayama (breathing exercises) and asanas (posture exercises) to Vinyasa Yoga which improves cardiovascular functions, or Restorative Yoga, which helps recover from an injury or illness, Yoga can benefit immensely if performed daily. All one needs to do is to contribute a few minutes of their day.
Yoga boosts cardiovascular functions
Many scientific studies argue that Yoga can improve the cardiovascular performance of a person with daily practice. Pranayam, an important form of Yoga that involves controlled breathing helps maintain heart rate and reduces high blood pressure which is incredibly significant for people with hypertension.
Ancient Indian texts on Yoga describe the importance of breath-controlling exercises claiming that the mind moves and stops with each breath. This claim has been supported by many experiments and research done on the pranayam revealing that the practice is advantageous to the respiratory and metabolic functions. The effect of slow breathing and fast breathing has many benefits against cardiovascular risks such as stroke and cardiac arrest. Pranayama like Kapalbharti and Mukha Bhastrika can help in the performance of the heart while Vinyasa Yoga can enhance it.
Yoga improves flexibility
There are more than 300 million people all around the world who practice Yoga and about 61% of them do it to enhance their flexibility. Studies show that a person who does Yoga daily has a more flexible and positive body than a person who does not. Flexibility, in fact, is one of the main physical benefits of doing Yoga daily. Many asanas like Parsvottanasana (Intense side stretch) and Dhanurasana (Bow Pose) open up muscles in many areas such as the glutes, back, chest, and legs. If done correctly and every day, one can experience the enhancement in mobility and stability of their body.
Yoga helps in stress relief
It goes without saying that stress has become an indispensable part of the modern landscape where one cannot imagine living a stress-free life for long. According to Frontline Magazine, about 77% of Indians display at least one symptom of stress. Similarly, the American Psychological Association shares that 84% of Americans feel prolonged stress from their environment. To battle this growing illness, practicing Yoga daily can be extremely beneficial. Medical studies conclude that people who practice Pranayama (both fast and slow) for one hour a day can experience reduced stress levels within two months. Yoga not only boosts focus but also improves mood and mental clarity stimulating a relaxation that conquers both the mind and the body.
Yoga helps battle anxiety
Anxiety is the result of stress breeding untreated for a prolonged time within a mind. It is a very serious mental state that Yoga can successfully cure. Yoga asanas like a guided Yoga Nidra are an effective tool in combating both mental and physiological symptoms of anxiety. Some investigations assert that Yoga can prove to be effective against depression, ADHD, dementia ailments, and many other psychological diseases. However inadequate data suggests that there is a need for further studies in this field.
Moreover, people who have pursued Yoga for a long period show better mental abilities like smoother motor function, better reaction time, and a balanced state of mind.
Yoga improves health & immunity
Yoga is an effective and proven method that can help improve health as well as immunity, especially in older men and women. Gentle Yoga asanas like the Trikonasana (Triangle Pose) or the Shavasana (Corpse Pose) can redevelop functional fitness among older people and middle-aged men and women. Daily practice of Yoga can also help stabilize flexibility in the body giving one better mobility and an overall healthy body.
With minimal stress or no other mental infirmity, one can enjoy life to the fullest. Therefore long-term Yoga practitioners can encounter an improvement in their quality of life as well as the immunity of the body against several cognitive and physical diseases. Yoga is also useful for easing bowel movement.
Yoga helps build strength
The nature of Yoga is mostly based on balance, breathing, and posture. Practicing daily can help anyone strengthen their core, muscles, and physical strength. Every asana provides resilience and stability to a different muscle. Many scientific researchers back the claim that practicing Yoga multiple times a week can refine muscle strength and build endurance, even enhance the cardio-respiratory system.
Yoga improves sleep
Research conducted by a scientific group showed that 59% of the daily Yoga practitioners have experienced an improvement in their sleep quality and pattern. The Yoga Nidra, particularly, is responsible for reduced anxiety and better sleep quality in the practitioner. One study found the effects of Yoga Nidra on sleep to be more therapeutic, deep, and restoring. However, the mechanics of how and why Yoga affects the quality of sleep are a little blurred but its effect on mood and stress are directly linked to it.
Yoga helps regulate body weight
By practicing Yoga every day, one becomes mindful of one’s body and grows more in tune with it. Body and mind are the same melody in a vessel. If the mind is light and the body is heavy, or the other way around, an individual will not function properly. Yoga helps in synchronizing both the mind and body by either balancing the mood or helping the practitioner regulate their weight.
The practice of Yoga involves working with one’s own weight which helps the person make functional gains. Yoga can thus act as a tool for weight management and maintaining a normal Body Mass Index (BMI).
The last line
There are numerous holistic benefits of incorporating Yoga daily into one’s life but each individual differs immensely from the other and can face risks in doing so.
This is why it is recommended to opt for guided Yoga classes from licensed and professional Yoga teachers who can understand the limitations of your body and mind.
Diya Yoga pioneers teaching Yoga to aspirants who want to grasp a figment of their consciousness and maintain their emotional, mental, and physical well-being. We mentor and create future Yoga teachers who understand the benefits of this ancient art and want to preserve it to carry its light to others. Our mentorship also stresses mental health and emotional management. For more details on our traditional Yoga teaching courses, contact the Diya Yoga Teacher Training Program.