International Day of Yoga 2018: 10 Health Benefits of Yoga That Are Too Good To Be True

As Indians, we are all familiar with yoga, yet most of us have a cursory idea of what it is. It’s essentially a spiritual discipline that focuses on harmonising the body and the mind, hence the name yoga (yuj) which means ‘to join’ in Sanskrit. This harmony results in some amazing benefits for your body, mind and soul. If you are wondering whether to join the rest of the world for UN’s International Day of Yoga on June 21, here are 10 reasons why you should!

1 Makes You Flexible

By flexibility, we obviously don’t mean gymnastic-level litheness. But a supple body makes it easier for us to perform day-to-day activities with ease. But a sedentary lifestyle robs the body of its flexibility, restricting mobility and reducing physical strength. Over time, lack of flexibility can cause pain and morbidity in the joints.

With yoga, our flexibility increases and it’s one of the most obvious benefits of performing asanas every day. With consistent practices, muscles, bones and joints loosen up. Yoga helps the joints take their full range of motions, sending blood to the cartilages and healing conditions like arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, back pain and chronic pain.

2 Improves Blood Flow

Yoga improves the blood circulation and helps transport the oxygen-carrying red blood cells to every cell in the body, enhancing their functions. Yoga also helps in thinning the blood, decreasing chances of heart attack stroke and blood clots. The wringing nature of the yogasanas encourages blood flow from the legs and pelvis, back to the heart. From there it is pumped through the lungs.

3 Heals Your Heart

Science has confirmed that certain yogasanas can improve heart health by lowering resting heart rate, increasing endurance and improving the utilisation of oxygen during exercising. Yogasanas have an aerobic effect, lowering the risk of heart attacks. Even yogic exercises that are not aerobic in nature can help in improving the functioning of the heart. Integrating yoga into your lives can greatly benefit cardiovascular health.

4 Relaxes You From Within

Life of an individual in the modern world is hectic and full of stressors. We are all living in a world of overstimulation, which taxes the nervous system. Yoga can give us some relief from the excessive stimulation. Regular practice of Shavasana, Pranayama and Dhyana or meditation leads to pratyahara or inward turning of the senses for control over external influences. This enables the overstimulated nervous system to take a break, improving sleep and relaxation.

5 Lets You Sleep Better

Good sleep is a cornerstone of good health. While you rest, the body undergoes repairs and sleep impairment can have its set of devastating consequences. Yoga has the ability to promote relaxation and induce mental balance. Practicing yoga regularly can help insomniacs by reducing the time taken to fall asleep and increasing sleep time. It helps you wake up refreshed instead of fatigued.

6 Takes Away The Pain

Those living with debilitating conditions such as chronic pain have a lot to gain from yoga. There are many studies that validate the role played by yoga and meditation to reduce pain. They say that combining yoga and dhyana can reduce disability, improve flexibility in the body and promote mobility in people who are incapacitated by chronic pains. In many cases, people have reduced their dependence or eliminated pain medications completely with yoga.

7 Makes You Happier

Yoga can help take the edge of mood disorders like depression, anxiety and other mood disorders. Conditions like major depressive disorder that depends on various factors and symptoms are influenced by stress. Various yogic techniques can help individuals cope with stressors. Although current treatment for mood disorders involves psychological and drug interventions, yoga as a means to treat mental health problems is becoming popular.

Yoga helps create a sense of well-being, increase relaxation, improve self-confidence and reduces body-image issues in the depressed. It can also enhance interpersonal relationships, attentiveness and efficiency in individuals who suffer from mood disorders. They become less irritable and have a more optimistic outlook towards life.

8 Helps You Breathe Better

Yoga helps improve lung functions, helping patients with debilitating problems like bronchitis and asthma. Specific yogasanas and pranayama improve breathing. However, these improvements depend primarily on the extent and the duration of yoga practice. Research shows that sticking to a yoga regimen helps people who suffer from coronary heart diseases apart from improving their heart functions.

9 Helps Diabetics 

Yoga practice can benefit diabetics through postures such as Surya Namaskar, Trikonasana, Tadasana, Padmasana, Vajrasana, etc. Consistent yoga practice has known to reduce fasting blood sugar, lipid levels and markers of oxidative stress. It is said to have better benefits than exercising. Studies have shown that performing asanas helped waist-hip ration and changes in the insulin levels. But yoga should be backed by the right diet and treatment.

10 Benefits Those With Cancer

Yoga may not cure cancer. There’s no proof that it prevents the deadly disease either. However, yoga can help increase the physical, mental and spiritual well-being of cancer patients, relieving them of stress and promoting healing from within. Stress is known to worsen the growth of cancer cells and tumours. That’s why it is important for people with cancer to manage stress effectively.

Yoga is therefore recommended for cancer patients for its refreshing effect of mental health, physical energy and fitness. The immune-strengthening effects of yoga may also help in fighting cancer cells.

Apart from these benefits, regular yoga practice also helps epilepsy, menopausal symptoms, migraines, glucose regulation sexual health and overall physical fitness. By reducing stress, yoga mitigates many health conditions, which worsen when the body is under duress. True to its name, it helps bring about a balance between your body, mind and spirit, promoting total well-being.

(References: Effects of Yoga on Mental and Physical Health: A Short Summary of Reviews;Exploring the therapeutic effects of yoga and its ability to increase quality of life)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 20, 2018 06:18 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).