Yoga has become a widely popular health practice that focuses on building not only a person’s physical well being but also having a focus on the person’s mental and emotional well being at its core. So grab a mat, some water and hit your best corpse pose as we look into some of the reasons for why yoga is such a beloved pastime, practice and lifestyle.
Self care is incredibly important in maintaining a healthy body and mind set, yoga is designed to tackle things that are stressful to a person and relieve that stress through breathing techniques, meditation and different poses. Yoga practices are especially helpful as it is easily adaptable for all ages, body types and experiences. There are over 100 different types of yoga practices which are easily accessible online or on youtube making it the perfect place to start when looking into improving your personal wellness. This type of diversity also allows for the person to find what works for them and gives a lot of room for growth and change. Yoga is an incredibly forgiving and patient practice which is why so many people are drawn to it.
Benefits of Yoga
For the Body:
Simply incorporating some breathing techniques and yoga poses in your everyday life will help improve a person’s flexibility, strength, and athletic performance. Osteopathic physician Dr. Nevin says “As an osteopathic physician, I focus a lot of my efforts on preventive medicine and practices, and in the body’s ability to heal itself. Yoga is a great tool for staying healthy because it’s based on similar principles.” As Dr. Nevin said yoga is a great preventative measure for most bodily ailments. Some afflictions that yoga may help improve include:
- Arthritis
- Back and Joint pain
- Inflammation
- Breathing difficulties
- Cardiovascular health
- Weight maintenance
- Ability to resist injury
For the Mind:
Another benefit to yoga is the improvements to one’s mental and emotional health. Yoga is said to be an energy centering practice that promotes being in a peaceful and calm mindset. Yoga has a huge emphasis on meditation and focusing your breathing, not only during the practice but also as ways to center yourself in times of stress. Some other mental benefits of yoga include:
- Reducing anxiety
- Regulating sleep
- Reducing headaches
- Improved mood
- Promoting mental clarity and thought
Written by GUADS member Amber with contributions from www.osteopathic.org
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