7 Health Benefits of Yoga
© Wesley Tingey
The ancient practice of yoga has many proven benefits. You can do yoga almost everywhere and it doesn’t require lots of special tools or skills. You need only a few off- or online lessons and a mat to practice. This makes yoga available to everyone.
In addition, yoga can significantly improve your physical and mental health. People who regularly practice yoga rarely suffer from headaches and have a positive outlook on life. In this article, we gathered seven health benefits of yoga you should know.
1. Yoga increases flexibility
If you feel stiffness in your body, it’s high time to practice yoga. Due to the fact that many asanas in yoga are aimed on stretching your muscles and will help to increase your flexibility. Moreover, if you experience a limited range of motion, yoga will help you gently stretch your muscles and increase your ability to move freely. Yoga is pure bliss for your joints.
2. Yoga improves blood circulation
Like any kind of physical activity, one of the main benefits of yoga is that it improves your blood circulation. Spending most of your waking hours sitting has a negative impact on your blood circulation. That’s why it is important to stand up and have a walk or exercise at least once every hour.
The best you can do is to practice yoga in the morning to wake up your body and boost blood circulation after sleep.
3. Yoga eases back and neck pain
Back and neck pain are extremely common especially, among people who maintain a sedentary lifestyle. If you want to get rid of it, try special yoga poses that will help ease pain and stiffness in the back muscles. In addition to this, you may eliminate headaches if they occur because of a pinched nerve or muscles in your back or neck. However, if you have certain underlying medical causes of your pain, you should be extremely careful and consult your doctor before trying yoga.
4. Yoga boots sexual desire
Many people who regularly practice yoga report that their libido increases after exercising. This is because exercising contributes to the production of endorphins that are responsible for a good mood. Indeed, you are more prone to have sex when you are in a good mood.
Also, if you practice yoga, your body becomes stronger and more attractive. This also has a positive impact on your sex drive.
5. Yoga improves fertility
There are certain asanas that improve blood circulation in the abdominal area. This gives your reproductive system a boost. Yoga also helps tone and tighten your pelvic floor that will help you carry a child easier and safer. And, as mentioned above, yoga increases the sex drive.
6. Yoga relieves stress
Due to the fact that yoga boosts endorphins production, it can increase your mood and relieve stress. When you are practicing yoga, you should stop thinking about all the issues and stressful situations that bother you.
When you clear your thoughts and focus on the sensations of your body, a solution to your problem may easily come to mind without any effort.
7. Yoga improves posture
People that have poor posture may experience a lot of unpleasant sensations. For example, poor posture can interfere with the normal function of the stomach. As a result, stomach acid can enter the esophagus and cause acid heartburn. Further, people with poor posture often experience fatigue and problems with lungs. Yoga teaches you how to breathe properly and keep your back straight.