11 Health Benefits of being a Yogi!

Exercising is the key to a healthy lifestyle and a much happier you. Today the kind of easy-going lifestyle we are leading; it definitely calls for exercising. Cassey Ho, a social-media fitness expert, says it is good for you to raise your heartbeat at least once a day via exercise. It is scientifically proven, that in terms of strength and vigour, exercising also puts a halt to your age.

There are different types of exercises that you may do to keep fit and healthy. Yoga tops the list. There was a time when yoga was practiced only in India, but the time is far gone due to the numerous benefits it provides to your mind, body, heart and soul.

Today, yoga is being practiced throughout the world; it is no longer just confined to India. You can even find yoga experts guiding you to do it the right way, online, with just a few clicks away!

Let’s discuss the health benefits of yoga today, starting with the benefits it has on mind and then we will get to the physical health benefits.

Mental Health Benefits

1. Stress Buster

Pranayama, breathing control in yoga, busts stress like a pro. It lets your mind and body relax. It makes you feel like you are taking in positive energies when you inhale and exhaling out all your worries and stress. It teaches your mind how to remain calm and relaxed, and control your breathing even while your body is under stress. It teaches your mind how to coordinate and keep yourself together. You teach your mind how to keep a control of your bodily movements, your bodily posture and your breathing. It keeps your mind busy and free of negative thoughts.

2. Teaches you how to control your Anger

Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi are eight crucial parts of Raja Yoga that teach you to think righteous for yourself and all other mankind, do righteous for yourself and all other mankind and never be a source of hurt for anyone, by your thought, word or deed.

These steps of yoga are meant to teach you how to control your anger, your desires and your needs. Yama, the first step, is to make you aware of the fact that even when it becomes your need to kill, steal or be bribed, it is wrong and you should not do it. Pranayama teaches your mind how to coordinate with the body. Pratyahara teaches you self-control.

3. Makes you more Focused

Dhyana, the act of meditation, where you feel every part of yourself. It is the stage of self-awareness. Dharana, the stage of “staying focused”, it teaches you how to focus on a single point.

Dhyana, first releases your mind and body from all the stress and then Dharana teaches you how to be focused. Collectively they both make you a calmer and a more focused person.

Physical Health Benefits

4. Makes you more Flexible

The versatile postures of Asana in all the different Yoga, increase your overall flexibility. Ashtanga Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Kundalini Yoga, Iyengar Yoga and Power Yoga; all cater to make your body more flexible via the contrasting Asanas.

5. Removes Toxins, Increase Digestion and Considerably Reduce Belly Fat

The different types of Yoga and their associated breathing practices, collectively remove toxins from your body. The different types of Pranayama help to remove toxins from your body and when combined with the godsend Asanas, they completely cleanse your body. If you do yoga regularly you will notice a much healthier you.

Yoga also helps with indigestion problems. It, in fact, cures many other stomach disorders like constipation, GERD, appendicitis and hernia.

By using the different postures of the body and specified breathing techniques, Hatha yoga and Power yoga increase your digestion, reduce belly fat and remove all sorts of toxins from your body. You will also discover stronger abs in some time. Combine fat burning foods with yoga to reduce fat faster than ever. You can even use different yoga postures to reduce fat from different parts of your body.

6. Expand your Lungs

Pranayama lets you use your lungs to their maximum capacity. This is why yoga is suggested to people who smoke so that their lungs can recover from the damage.

Bhastrika Pranayama comprises of deep inhaling and then exhaling with a fizz sound.

Kapalbhati Pranayama comprises of exhaling with all your force while pulling on your stomach muscles and then inhaling normally.

Bahya Pranayama, Anulom Vilom Pranayama, Bhramari Pranayama, Udgeeth Pranayama and Pranav Pranayama are all special in their own ways. They allow you to use your lungs to their maximum capability and transport oxygen to all parts of your body.

7. Strengthens the Immune system

The different postures of yoga remove toxins from your body thus strengthens your immune system. As the toxins are removed from your body, your immune system is highly adapted to fight off any new bacteria, virus or any other pathogen that enters the body.

8. Builds Stamina

When your yoga instructor tells you to hold it right there in that Asana posture, they are building your stamina. The farther you go with yoga, the better your stamina gets. If you think doing yoga is a cup of tea then I guess it is time to test that stamina of yours (hope that motivates you to try some power yoga). Do yoga and make your stamina better!

9. Gives your body that Perfect Posture

All those mat Asanas in yoga are meant to familiarise you of the correct spine position, once you find that, you are supposed to maintain your spine position in the rest of your Asanas. Yoga also has Asanas for you to practice to relief from back pain and neck pain. All those of you who have posture problems, “Yoga” is the solution to your problems.

10. Tones your Muscles and Lubricates your Joints

Yoga literally refreshes your muscle fibres. As you start doing yoga, you start to feel your muscles in places where you never felt them before. It wakes up the muscles that were previously sleeping. It enhances your nervous system and sends signals to lubricate your joints. However, go slow and easy on your joints if you are tight in there.

11. Improves Blood Circulation

This is like the solution to all our health problems. Once there is oxygenated blood reaching to every part of your body, it will be able to give its best. Blood has everything you need to keep healthy; hormones, phagocytes, oxygen, erythrocytes, leucocytes, platelets and blood plasma. It is the medium where all bodily processes take place.

Conclusion

With this I hope you are motivated enough to start doing yoga from today onwards. Do it once and you would want to do it again and again. Be consistent and get addicted to it because there is no better addiction than being addicted to Yoga.

What other health benefits have you got after being a yogi or what benefits do you want to achieve after being a yogi? Let us know by commenting below!

Author BIO – 

Catherynne Johns is a senior writer for olwomen.com, an avid reader,  fashion and makeup enthusiast who simply lives to write and talk about all kinds of stuff. Focusing on Fat burning foods especially for women to lose inner thigh fat!