Share this
Yoga Benefits Both Mentally and Physically doing Daily Practice
Last updated 11/25/2022
It is said that only 15 minutes of yoga is needed every day. Yup, yoga is that potent that doing a simple routine can reap many rewards. Yoga benefits.
The beauty is every pose can be modified from beginner, intermediate or advanced. You don’t have to be perfect. Do what you can. Certainly, explore what is comfortable.
This blog contains affiliate links (ADS) meaning I earn a commission on qualifying purchases. Thanks you so much!
Yoga Benefits
Physically
As yoga provides relaxation this is great for pain reduction. This includes chronic pain, arthritis and headaches.
Improve Flexibility and Mobility
Maybe you’re not able to touch your toes or put your hands together behind your back. All it takes is a couple minutes doing the Warrior and Downward Facing Dog to limber you up. In addition, yoga retrains your deep connective tissue.
Stress and anxiety can cause your tissues to become tired, tight and stiff. Because yoga involves whole body movements and awareness you can use the poses to release and lengthen these tight areas. Above all, this is done through a daily yoga practice.
Build Strength
You don’t have to pump iron to build muscle. Yoga gives you the possibility to boost your strength also. As a result, the Chinese University of Hong Kong has done a study.
It consisted of a 12-week hatha yoga course involving both men and women. Further, the participants showed significant increases with muscular strength versus the control group.
Correct Posture
Doing yoga poses daily aids in giving you better posture. So, you can walk taller as well as sit up straighter. To sum up, this study by Physical Therapy Science included 56 women practicing 90-minute hatha yoga sessions.
In conclusion, the yoga increased spinal mobility and flexibility regardless of age. The elderly are encouraged to practice yoga so that muscles are more flexible while increasing the range of motion in the joints. Likewise, this helps with quality of life in later years.
Chronic Pain
Having less grey matter in your brain has a link to chronic pain. Yoga can prevent this effect and even reverse it. To sum up, this is according to a study by the National Centre for Complementary and Integrative Health.
The study found yogis have more grey matter in their brain regions that have to do with pain moderation. Mind-body practices like yoga can provide protection to the grey brain matter. Most importantly, this counteracts the neuroanatomical effect caused by the always present pain.
Lower Back Pain
One of the most common forms of chronic pain includes your back. Above all, one way to get relief is to practice yoga daily. It can be pretty convenient to download on your computer and budget friendly. In short, one study found it just as effective as going for regular physical therapy.
Healthy Heart
You may not know this, but yoga is healthy for your heart. When it is included with dietary changes and stress management yoga can reduce your cholesterol levels. In short, this slows the occurrence of heart disease.
Lose Weight
Yes, if weight loss is your New Year resolution yoga can help. And you don’t have to partake in an intense hot yoga session. A study was performed with restorative yoga done at a very slow pace. This included long holds and more deep breathing.
3 Ways yoga boost weight loss:
- Burning calories
- Reducing stress levels
- Connects you to your body
AD
ADLess Inflammation
Having chronic inflammation is not good. Moreover, there is a connection to serious health issues including heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Pro-inflammatory markers such as cytokines can be decreased in the body through daily yoga practice. This is according to an article in the Journal of Behavioral Medicine.
Mentally
One of the best benefits that is important in your daily life is yoga manages stress. Stress can manifest as chronic pain, insomnia, and not being able to concentrate.
For Stress Relief
Yoga benefits as a great tool for stress management. And there are numerous studies out there verifying this.
Regular yoga practice can lower the cortisol hormone (main stressor). By improving your subjective wellbeing, you actually feel better too.
Reduce Anxiety
You have read how super yoga is with stress relief. As for anxiety sufferers it supports calming the mind. And it’s especially effective for quelling feelings of worry.
A daily yoga routine helps to alleviate the symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder a Georgia State University study discovered. Furthermore, those chronic, persistent and extreme thoughts about daily events.
Manage Depression
Medication and psychological therapies are usually done for treating depression. But yoga can be an important useful complementary tool. It’s all about that stress hormone.
High cortisol levels take away your body’s ability to produce serotonin. This is your happy hormone along with other neurotransmitters such as dopamine the hormone for reward and motivation. In other words, yoga aids in squashing those cortisol levels, yeah.
Better Sleep
I saw this on Pinterest. You can do this pose if you are struggling to get to sleep (like one of those nights). That is to say, it's called forward fold.
Lye on your back and put your feet up the wall. Your legs should be standing straight up along the wall. To sum up, it’s very relaxing.
Yoga benefits sleep this has also been studied. Those who practice yoga quickly fell asleep and slept longer. So, when they woke up, they were more rested versus those not practicing yoga.
Self-Awareness
In talking about yoga and that mind-body connection it helps discourage unpleasant emotions. You’re not searching for external distractions to suppress your feelings. Moreover, 20 people in a small study loss weight by doing yoga.
Of this group 90% noted a rise with mindful eating, making better food choices and diminished their emotional eating.
Get More Energy
From a spiritual outlook, it is said doing yoga everyday can awaken the main energy centers (chakras) in your body. For extra energy try the tree pose which extends your spine. Thus, energy is allowed to circulate your entire body.
Scientific research has also shown how invigorating yoga can be for your mind. Just 25 minutes of hatha yoga can extremely boost your energy levels. The theory is because endorphins are released, and this increases the blood flow to your brain. In short, the focus on your negative thoughts is reduced.
Breathe Better
Throughout your yoga session along with poses you take deep cleansing breaths. This helps slow things down and can be done pretty much anywhere. Moreover, yogic breathing techniques (aka pranayama) place focus on your slow breaths.
Breathing is concentrated on the pit of your belly to the top of your lungs. This in turn sends a message to your brain to relax your sympathetic nervous system. You know the flight or fight response.
Further, it has been shown these exercises can boost vital capacity. Meaning the more air your lungs can exhale.
You’re Happier
This will blow your mind! Just one yoga session of under an hour can alter your brain chemistry. In other words, there is an increase in the mood-boosting gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). This neurotransmitter is responsible for decreasing activity in your nervous system.
Be More Mindful
Yoga benefits and mindfulness are woven together. While doing yoga your attention is drawn to your sensations, thoughts and feelings that come with the pose. So, that awareness directs you back to the present moment. And this is what mindfulness is all about.
According to research those who think of themselves as being mindful hold more emotional stability. They also say they have better control with their emotions and behaviors throughout each day. As a result, better wellbeing.
Open Creativity
You may need to roll out your mat if you are having a roadblock with your paper assignment. Yoga benefits like meditation, mantra and the deep breathing techniques can stimulate and raise your alpha brain waves. Further, repetition of those mind-body practices changes your brain’s structure reaching your area of connection and creativity.
Think Clearly
The same brain structures are enhanced doing yoga as you would receive from aerobic exercise. This includes your brain’s amygdala contributing to emotional regulation. In addition, your prefrontal cortex that’s responsible for planning and decision making.
As well as the default mode network. This is combined brain regions linked with your sense of self. Thus, practicing yoga works miracles with your cognitive functioning.
Quality of Life
Looking through all these studies and the research you can see how greatly practicing yoga can impact your wellbeing. Participates 65-85 were given a choice between hatha yoga, walking or nothing (the control). As a result, the yogis experienced improved physical health. Thus, quality of life and vitality rose.
Live Longer
With all these benefits from yoga not only affecting your quality of life it can also extend it. Meaning the intensive practice can aid the cellular effects of aging. Certainly, studies have shown yoga reduces oxidative stress and DNA damage.
More pluses, it adds BDNF (hormone that tells brain cells to make other connections). And Sirtuin, a group of enzymes that increases cellular health. In addition, telomenase to lengthen DNA telomenes.
Wrapping it up
A daily routine can provide many mental and physical benefits. It is a tool to help you stay healthy. Further, yoga builds strength, awareness and harmony in your mind as well as your body.
Follow!
Mary is the founder of All About Our Skin. Former esthetician and CPC. Enjoys researching skincare and has been studying our skin for the past fifteen years.
