Benefits of Yoga
Yoga is designed to help induce relaxation as well as promote healthy benefits. These benefits include increased flexibility, strength and good posture. Through the unique poses and deep breathing exercises, it is also known to be medically beneficial to the heart and to those suffering asthma and arthritis.
Flexibility: Yoga is known for improving the flexibility of the body. This is done by doing stretch exercises called asanas poses. The actual process involves the releasing of lactic acid. Lactic acid can build up within the muscles and cause symptoms such as pain, stiffness and tension. Stretching the muscles releases the lactic acid. All of the soft tissues of your body, such as the tendons and ligaments, can benefit from doing yoga stretches.
Strength: Certain styles of yoga are used for improving muscle tone while other styles provide strength and endurance. There are different poses for strengthening the upper body and the lower body. Upper body poses are those such as the Downward Dog and Plank while lower body poses include the Chair and Upward Dog pose.
Breathing: When performing the yoga poses, concentrated breathing is also performed. This deep breathing can help improve lung capacity and stimulate relaxation.
Additional Benefits: Yoga can also help to reduce stress, improve concentration and mood, and improve heart health. The reduction of stress is often due to biochemical responses. Levels of catecholamines and hormone transmitters are reduced during yoga exercises resulting in a feeling of calmness. Heart health benefits include the lowering of blood pressure and slowing the heart rate which can help people with hypertension and heart disease.