Yoga Helps to Manage Stress
The practice of yoga and meditation lowers the stress chemicalsin your body, specifically cortisol. The breathing practice, pranayama, maybe the biggest contributor to this benefit. The physical practice of yoga, the Asanas, will lower your blood pressure and boost your immune system. Neuroscientist have documented the shrinking or the amygdala or the part of the brain that stress activity generates . People who meditate more often have a smaller amygdala but have more activity in other pleasure centers.
Yoga Helps Manage Chronic Pain
Research has shown that yoga helps to manage pain in individuals with fibromyalgia. It also benefits individuals with cancer, multiple sclerosis, and other auto-immune diseases.
Yoga Improves Flexibility and Strength
Practicing yoga asanas regularly increases your range of movement and reduces nagging aches and pains. Don’t use lack of flexibility as an excuse to not try yoga. Everyone has to start somewhere. It is called a yoga practice for a reason, it is a process, not a signal perfect pose.
Besides improving your flexibility, yoga increases your strength. A complete practice will work most of the major muscles in your body and some muscles you may not know you had. A side effect of the practice is an increase in physical confidence. The more you practice yoga the more confidence you will have in pushing your practice forward.
Yoga Helps with Weight Management
The physical practice provides all the same benefits as any other exercise. The added benefit from yoga and a complimentary meditation practice comes from the improved connection to your body. With regular yoga practice, you become more aware of your hunger cues and it is easier to separate stress cues from hunger ones. Lower cortisol levels improve your body’s ability toprocess sugars (carbohydrates) which also adds to your weight loss.
