Benefits of Practicing Yoga
Classes will be offered on Friday, March 13th at 4:00 pm, and Monday, March 30th at 6:00 pm. Both classes will be held at our LIV Health location in Cheyenne, 415 W. 27th Street. Learn more about the event on our Facebook page.
Now, onto the benefits of practicing yoga!
We took a stroll through the internet to learn more about the benefits of practicing yoga, and the changes people see are pretty amazing, not only physically but mentally too. So here’s what we found. According to yogajournal.com (we will link the full article below) yoga not only works to improve health, but can also help heal aches and pains, and can help to keep sickness at bay.
Improves Flexibility
Builds Muscle
Helps promote good Posture
Posture is something that most of us probably don’t pay close enough attention to, but did you know “poor posture can cause back, neck and other muscle and joint problems? As you slump, your body may compensate by flattening the normal inward curves in your neck and lower back. This can cause pain and degenerative arthritis of the spine.” That’s no good!
Prevents Cartilage and Joint Breakdown
Spine health
Better Bone Health
Increased Blood Flow
Boosts Immunity
Did you know that “when you contract and stretch muscles, move organs around, and come in and out of yoga postures, you increase the drainage of lymph nodes? This can help the lymphatic system fight infection!”
Increased Heart Rate
Lowers Blood Pressure
Regulates Adrenal Glands
Makes you Happier
“One study found that a consistent yoga practice improved depression and led to a significant increase in serotonin levels and a decrease in the levels of monoamine oxidase (an enzyme that breaks down neurotransmitters) and cortisol.” Yoga can also benefit your mental health in other ways, including:
- Helping to decrease stress
- Relieve anxiety
- It can help to reduce inflammation, which can help reduce pro-inflammatory diseases.
- Improve the quality of life. There was a study done that took 135 seniors and assigned them to 6 months of either yoga practice, walking or a control group. The study showed that practicing yoga significantly improved quality of life, as well as mood and fatigue, compared to the other groups, pretty cool right?
- Helping to fight depression, which we touched on above, but there was a study done that showed after 2 weeks of practicing yoga, participants had fewer symptoms of depression and lowe levels of cortisol, and ACTH, which is a hormone responsible for stimulating the release of cortisol.
- Reduction of chronic pain
- Promote better sleep
- Improve breathing
- Promote healthy/intuitive eating, by paying attention to the taste, smell and texture of your food, and noticing any thoughts, feeling or sensations that happen while you’re eating. You can help to control blood sugar, increase weight loss, and/or help to treat disordered eating behaviors.
Focus
“An important component of yoga is focusing on the present. Studies have found that regular yoga practice improves coordination, reaction time, memory, and even IQ scores.”
Relaxation
Improves Balance
“For the elderly, this can translate into more independence and delayed admission to a nursing home or never entering one at all.”
Release tension in our limbs
More space for our lungs to breathe
Prevents IBS and other Digestive Issues
Gives Peace of Mind
Increases Self-Esteem
Give you Inner Strength
Benefits Relationships
Regular yoga practice can help cultivate friendships, compassion, and friendliness.
Keeps Allergies and Viruses at Bay
Encourage Self Care
“In yoga, it’s what you do for yourself that matters. Yoga gives you the tools to help you change, and you might start to feel better the first time you try practicing. You may also notice that the more you commit to practice, the more you benefit. This results in three things: You get involved in your own care, you discover that your involvement gives you the power to effect change, and seeing that you can effect change gives you hope. And hope itself can be healing.”
To read the full article by Timothy McCall, M.D.
We are so excited to bring the benefits of practicing yoga to our patients! So, again, don’t forget to come and check out our FREE yoga classes on March 13th and 30th. We can’t wait to see you there!