Yoga is well known for alleviating back pain and improving your mood and flexibility. But yoga can help your body, mind, and spirit in a host of other ways as well. Here are some of the benefits of yoga that many people may not be aware of.
Improves Organ Function
Yoga improves your blood flow and encourages deep breathing, so it benefits your heart and lungs. It also boosts the function of your digestive system and may improve regularity.
Weight Loss
Like any form of physical activity, yoga burns calories, but it also helps you focus on making better food choices. It helps you become more aware of your body so that you focus on what you put in it. You will eat less and eat better, and that’s what helps you lose weight.
Mental Focus
Unlike other kinds of exercise, yoga has a positive impact on your brain. It requires mental focus, which when worked gets stronger, just like your body. It will help with focus and creativity in all areas of your life.
Immune System
Yoga improves your immune system both during your workout and afterward. If you practice yoga regularly, you can see a long-term improvement in your immune system, which will keep you healthier overall.
Healthier Skin
You’ll enjoy an increase in circulation and oxygen flow when you do yoga, and that will improve the appearance of your skin. Like many of the benefits of yoga, some of this is physical, and some is mental since your skin will look more vibrant when you are calmer and more centered.
Healing
If you have had an injury or surgery, yoga can aid the healing process. The increased blood and oxygen flow will help your cells to repair themselves more quickly, and the positive energy in a group yoga class will help you heal faster too.
Spine Alignment
By focusing on your posture as you stretch and hold poses, you will strengthen your spine and undo the damage that’s been done by long days sitting at a desk or in a car. This can help with any back pain you have, and prevent future back issues.
Chronic Disease
The National Institutes of Health says that yoga may help with lower back pain. It also reports that yoga can help those who suffer from elevated blood pressure, diabetes, and other chronic diseases as it reduces stress, lowers blood pressure and heart rate, helps relieve anxiety and insomnia, and improves flexibility and overall fitness.
Yoga is easy to learn, can be done by anyone in any physical condition, and benefits your body, mind, and spirit in so many ways.
