What Practicing Yoga Can Do for Your Body & Brain
For thousands of years, people have reaped the mental, physical, and spiritual benefits of yoga. And today, many people start practicing yoga because of all its benefits. From feeling more energized throughout the week, to finding a deeper sense of balance and peace, there are so many ways life perks people report experiencing when they start their yoga practice. But what’s the science behind incorporating yoga for your life into your routine, and what mental and physical benefits can you actually expect to experience? Today we’ll go over how various practices, like restorative yoga and pranayama, can boost your overall well being.
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Physical benefits of yoga for your life
It can lower your risk for heart disease
There’s a reason your favorite yogi is always telling you to “open your heart”. As it turns out, practicing yoga regularly can reduce blood pressure, stress, and bad cholesterol – all contributors to heart disease. Even simple poses like savasana can help reduce blood pressure!
Practicing yoga can help you maintain a healthy weight
Of course, the more you get moving, the better muscle tone and strength you’ll have, which helps you maintain a healthy weight. But research has also shown that practicing yoga for your life can also help you make better choices in the kitchen as well. The more you learn to pay better attention to your breathing and state of mind, the more likely you are to pay better attention to feelings of hunger and fullness.
It protects your spine
Your spinal disks love to be moved and stretched – it’s actually how they get the nutrients they need to stay strong and sturdy! Thankfully, a good restorative yoga practice helps with that. Poses like backbends, forward bends, and twists can help your spine stay healthy and happy.
Yoga boosts your immunity
Yoga actually influences your gene expression, which means more strength for your immune system. And the great thing about this perk is that you can start enjoying it pretty much immediately! For the biggest boost to your immune system, practice asana, pranayama, and mindful meditation above all.
Mental benefits of yoga
Yoga makes you ‘smarter’
So no, yoga can’t help you magically become a genius by any means, but it can definitely increase your mental acuity. Just 20 minutes of yoga a day improves your brain’s ability to quickly and accurately process information. A lot of the exercise people typically do encourages them to zone-out and drift, but yoga encourages people to focus on the present through mindful awareness, which stimulates the brain.
Restorative yoga reduces stress & anxiety
One of the biggest things people seem to love about yoga is its ability to help us calm down and find a better sense of peace and balance within our lives. But there’s actually science to back those benefits up. Practicing yoga and meditation lowers blood pressure, and increases the amount of happy hormones flowing throughout our body. This helps us feel safe, secure, and happy.
Practicing yoga for your life improves your quality of life
Combine all of these benefits together, and you create a daily routine that’s conducive to living a more healthy, happy life! Especially in times like these, we could all use a little help – and yoga can provide that. Just imagine how it could help your life!
Start discovering the benefits of yoga today through YogaVibe’s live and on-demand yoga classes! Start your free, 15-day trial here and let us know what you think on our Facebook and Instagram.