The Benefits Of Yoga

There are many benefits of yoga, and yoga is a great way to add variety to your fitness program.

Yoga is a spiritual discipline that originated in India more than 5,000 years ago. There are six major branches of yoga: Hatha, Raja, Karma, Bhakti, Jnana, and Tantra. Hatha yoga is the most popular branch, and it's what most people in the West associate with the word yoga. Hatha yoga is often referred to as physical yoga, and it's the branch of yoga most often used for exercise purposes. Hatha yoga uses poses (known as asanas), breathing techniques (known as pranayama), and meditation in order to achieve better health and fitness, as well as spiritual insight and tranquility.

There are a number of different styles of Hatha yoga, such as Kripalu, Ashtanga, and Birkram. Most include the same fundamental poses, but differ in terms of how quickly you move, how long you hold each pose, how much breathing is emphasized, and how much of the spiritual aspect there is.

Top 5 Benefits Of Yoga

1. Increases flexibility. Yoga involves a lot of stretching and it's a great way to increase flexibility. A common misconception about yoga is that you have to be very flexible to even try it. In fact, yoga poses have many variations, and they can be done in a way that accomodates almost any level of flexibility. So even if you're not overly flexible, don't let that stop you from trying yoga.

2. Increases strength and builds lean muscle mass. Many yoga poses require you to support the weight of your own body in ways that you're probably not used to, such as balancing on one leg or supporting yourself with your arms. These types of poses will increase your strength and build lean muscle mass.

3. Strengthens internal systems. Yoga strengthens your internal physiological systems, such as your immune system, nervous system, digestive system, respiratory system, endocrine system, and circulatory system.

4. Improves breathing. For many people, breathing tends to be fast and shallow. This results in only a fraction of the lungs being used and less oxygen being delivered to the body. Yoga breathing techniques teach you how to breath properly. Proper breathing improves lung efficiency and increases the amount of oxygen delivered to the body. And the more oxygen the body has, the better it will function and the healthier it will be. Proper breathing also helps energize the body.

5. Improves mental health. The mind-body connection is fundamental to yoga. Yoga reduces stress, anxiety, hostility, and depression. Yoga improves attention, memory, concentration, and learning efficiency. Yoga will calm your mind, help you sleep better, give you a more positive outlook on life, and improve your overall sense of well-being.

In conclusion, the benefits of yoga are powerful. Yoga will not only improve your health and fitness, it well help you develop more tranquility in your life.

Recommended Resource

YogaAccessories.com has been selling high quality yoga accessories over the internet since 1998, longer than any of their competitors. As a direct importer, they cut out the middleman and are able to offer their products at the lowest prices on the internet. They carry everything from yoga mats to eye pillows. They also carry a great selection of yoga DVDs.

Leave the Benefits Of Yoga page and return to the Benefits Of Stretching page
Leave the Benefits Of Yoga page and return to the Home page