12 benefits of Yoga (Science-based)

Mostly, people talk about yoga benefits for the body, but it is a complete physical and mental exercise. There are different limbs of yoga, aiding in disparate health benefits; yoga poses, meditation, breathing exercises, etc. One who honours these yoga roots understands the real meaning of the practice.

The 8 Limbs of Yoga:

• Yamas
• Niyamas
• Asanas
• Pranayama
• Pratyahara
• Dharana
• Dhyana
• Samadhi

Yoga health benefits are no more myths, but are backed by science. As per the scientific research, the millennium practice has supported evidence and agrees to many benefits, that’s making sense to the world.

Let’s learn about the science-based advantages of yoga in detail below:

12 benefits of yoga that are supported by science:

1. Yoga for mental health: Yoga and mental health have a strong relation. With its emphasis on meditation and breathing, you can control your mind and keep it calm. It can be performed in different forms to reduce depression and make you feel free. Certainly, it improves your mood too.
2. Yoga to reduce stress: Stress is a part of life as some experience mild stress, whereas many find it unbearable. With 30 minutes of daily yoga, one can impressively cut-off their daily stress. Yoga poses such as standing forward bend, cat-cow pose and bridge pose are some of the basic yoga for stress relief.
3. Yoga for flexibility: For physical health, flexibility is the utmost factor. Consequently, it is the main reason that people are adopting the rich practice. There are many yoga styles and each functions to improve the flexibility component; high to moderate level of yoga. This is even found helpful in people ageing 65 or above
4. Yoga for strength training: Generally, people connect with yoga to stretch and improve flexibility. Unlikely,  there are yoga practices that are considered good for building body strength. The approach is real depending on the level of yoga and your master. Many people with physical disabilities, children and older adults are using the technique for improvements.
5. Yoga to improve immunity: Studies prove that chronic stress impacts your immune system that leads to several illnesses if it gets compromised. As mentioned above, yoga is highly effective in treating stress, and that directly enhances your immune system. There is a definite link between regular yoga practice and your immunity.
6. Yoga improves your body balance: If you feel imbalanced while descending stairs or even lose momentum while reaching up to a shelf, it’s certainly due to a lack of body balance. If you know, yoga is one of the reasons that helps athletes in maintaining their body balance and upscale their performance. As a result, yoga poses and asanas have been shown to benefit people with brain injuries. Research proves that people who regularly perform yoga have a better balance.
7. Yoga aids in improved sleep: There are 2 aspects of sleep; falling asleep and staying asleep. Many people go to bed but their brain stays active which leads to improper sleepiness; different thoughts or ideas flow during the process. The reason could be anything such as excitement, stress, anxiety etc. With yoga, one can overcome insomnia, and it helps with sleeping quickly and deeply. For instance, yoga nidra is highly impactful for improved sleep.
8. Yoga for bone health: Deteriorate bone tissue is a common condition found worldwide. In this condition, your bones start getting thinner, and become weak and brittle. Apart from nutrition and medication, strength exercises are recommended to reverse the loss. Experts endorse yoga for healthy bones that bring agility, strength, improve balance and posture. There are different weight-bearing yoga poses that help you with bone strength; plank pose, tree pose, warrior II pose etc.
9. Yoga helps in cardiovascular function: The yogic breathing or pranayama is one of the integral aspects of yoga. There are thousands of studies on the pranayama that conclude the practice for improving different body functions. Specifically, the effect of yoga on the cardiovascular system is impressive. It controls the breathing pace and improves heart rate, arterial pressure, stroke capacity and other heart functions.
10. Yoga lightens your body awareness: Modern society relies on technology that involves sitting for long hours in front of computers, leading to severe body pain. Yoga for good posture is a practice helping people with better alignment and mobility. With yoga, you can relax your tight muscles to prevent hamstrings. The daily practice supports your spine and makes it strong.
11. Yoga for improved brain functioning: Research proves that yoga is a mind-body practice. Yoga has proved to be beneficial in developing brain structure and function. Further, studies show that people who regularly practice yoga build a thicker cerebral cortex and aid different brain parts, resulting in improved memory, awareness, attention and focus.
12. Yoga makes you self-esteemed: Confidence and self-esteem are imperative elements for everyone. Unfortunately, developing the skill is difficult for young adults and adolescents. Yoga immensely helps these underrated individuals to instil empowerment. Yoga has shown promising results in alleviating symptoms of depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues.

Should you trust yoga?

There has been a lot of research and study done on yoga and its benefits, and the results are impressive in terms of overall health. The combination of its physical and mental elements makes it a complete practice. Perform in groups, with family or solely, and enjoy the lavish benefits.

Also Read: 4 Common Reasons You Might be Coughing

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