Yoga has many directions and schools, however, basically most practices include the study of breathing techniques, meditation and various dynamic and static positions that allow you to influence many muscle groups. At the same time, such activity has many benefits for mental health. We talk about the health benefits of yoga.
1. Yoga helps fight back pain
A large systematic review suggests that yoga is an effective treatment for back pain and helps people with chronic pain stay active. In one study, people with back pain who did 90 minutes of yoga for 24 weeks experienced an average reduction in pain by 56%.
Yoga is also recommended in clinical guidelines for people with back pain.
If you have back pain, first talk to your doctor about whether yoga is a good option for you to stay active. Or try a few simple exercises to see if you feel any discomfort or increased pain.
2. Yoga helps fight stress
In a national survey conducted in the United States, more than 85% of respondents reported that yoga helped reduce stress levels. It does this by reducing the stress hormone cortisol. And as a result of the action of endorphins, we feel better and happier when we practice yoga.
3. Yoga improves sleep quality
In the same survey, more than 55% of people who do yoga found that it helped them sleep better. In particular, a combination of exercise and breathing techniques promotes the release of the hormone melatonin, which is released at night and helps us fall asleep. Yoga can also affect feelings of anxiety, stress and chronic pain, which typically impair the quality and duration of sleep.
4. Yoga improves cardiovascular health
Yoga can help reduce your risk of heart disease in the same way as regular exercise such as brisk walking. The combination of physical activity, breathing and meditation has a significant effect on cardiovascular risk factors.
For example, doing muscle flexibility exercises helps your muscles become more sensitive to insulin, which is important for controlling blood sugar, and breathing techniques can help lower your blood pressure.
5. Yoga encourages you to eat a more balanced diet.
People who do yoga are more careful about their diet. Researchers have determined that yoga practice promotes greater awareness of one's body and control of emotions. What helps, for example, is not to eat stress or, in general, to be conscious about food consumption.
6. Yoga improves balance and coordination
Yoga improves balance, coordination, and balance through controlled movements, concentration, and static positions. In particular, yoga can be useful for older people to maintain mobility and train proprioception.
Many people associate yoga with high spiritual practices that are difficult to integrate into their daily lives. However, it is a good choice for physical activity; yoga helps increase endurance, strengthen bones and muscles, and become more flexible and mobile.
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