“Yoga is the fountain of youth, you’re only as young as your spine is flexible.”-Bob Harper
Yoga is the ‘yoking’ or restraining of the mind from focusing on external objects in efforts to reach a state of pure consciousness. Over time, yoga came to incorporate physical elements from gymnastics and wrestling. Today, there are a multitude of approaches to modern yoga — though most still maintain the three core elements. I studied Patanjali Yogsutra before three decades and knew about overall aspects of psychosomatic structure and started practicing yoga for better physical postures, breathing exercises, and spiritual contemplation.
Being a student of psychology I always combined the blend of physical and mental exercise to have a unique set of health advantage. With regular exercise during my athletic sessions I always tried to improve my physical strength and flexibility, boosting my heart capacity and ultimately tried to enhance psychological well-being. Of course I can never ignore the contributions of my coaches.
Despite my all attempts through studies and my personal research, it is undeniably very much difficult as specific claim about yoga’s advantage. The overall improvement of physical fitness may be unique combination of activities that must have been producing specific health benefits.
My self reporting may be subjective but some of the health benefits are more robust scientific support than individual small sample size experiences.
Strength And Flexibility
While doing postures of yoga, the parts of the body is twisted and as a result multiple group of muscles are tuned. Some of the stretching exercises change the water content of these muscles, ligaments and tendons and make them more elastic. Elastic collagen is generated with longer period of regular exercise. Natural reflex of body is obtained thereby resulting in contracts of muscles. As a result pain tolerance is increased for the feats of flexibility.
One form of yoga may have improved advantage over other but yoga as whole improves the fitness and flexibility in healthy populations.
In many studies involving patients with a variety of muscular-skeletal disorders, yoga has proven more helpful at reducing pain and improving mobility than other forms of low-impact exercise. Yoga has proven as potentially powerful therapeutic tool and improved strength and flexibility for hard to treat conditions like chronic lower back pain, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoporosis.
Powerful Breathing Technique
Since the healthy breathing is very much beneficial, organised breathing has proven similarly therapeutic for lung health. Lung diseases like chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma shrink the passageways that carry oxygen, while weakening the membrane that brings oxygen into the blood.
A regular breathing exercise improves blood’s oxygen content. It is especially helpful for those with weak heart muscles who have difficulty pumping enough oxygen throughout the body. And for those with healthy hearts, this practice can lower blood pressure and reduce risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
Psychological Aspects Of Yoga Benefits
Despite the longstanding association between yoga and psychological wellbeing, there’s little conclusive evidence on how the practice affects mental health. One of the biggest claims is that yoga improves symptoms of depression and anxiety disorders. Since diagnosis of these conditions varies widely as do their origin and severity, it’s difficult to quantify yoga’s impact. However, there is evidence to suggest that yoga can help reduce the symptoms of stress and anxiety.
Research on the effects of yoga is still evolving. In the future, we’ll need larger studies, incorporating diverse participants, which can measure yoga’s impact on heart attacks, cancer rates, cognitive function and more. But for now, yoga can continue its ancient tradition as a way to exercise, reflect, and relax.
Summary
1. Yoga improves your psychological/mental well-being and helps to reduce stressed and tensed brain especially when you feel that responsibilities of entire world is on your shoulders.
2. Yoga helps with anxiety and depression. Consisting of activities such as relaxation, meditation, socialization, and exercise, yoga has been proven helpful in reducing your anxiety and depression.
3. Yoga boosts memory and improves concentration. There may come certain instances in your life when you find it difficult to concentrate on your day-to-day tasks.
4. Yoga prevents the onset of mental health conditions, which are prevalent during adolescence.
5. Yoga reduces the effects of traumatic experiences.
6. Yoga builds up the self confidence and gives mental calmness.
Take Away
1. Very nature of Yoga is to impart the knowledge how to control your entire body.
2. An authentic yoga practice demands introspection, reflection, and earnest consideration of the self. It is a way to connect with our own thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and core values, opening the window into our deeper and truer selves.
