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10 Reasons to Practice Therapeutic Yoga
Give
yoga a try and discover what it can do for body and
mind.
A central premise in yoga is “everything is connected.” That’s
clear when looking at the health and fitness benefits of yoga that have
long been reported by practitioners and are now being confirmed by
scientific research.
1
- STRESS RELIEF Yoga
reduces the physical effects of stress on the body. By encouraging
relaxation, yoga helps to lower the levels of the stress hormone
cortisol. Related benefits include lowering blood pressure and
heart rate, improving digestion and boosting the immune system as well
as easing symptoms of conditions such as anxiety, depression, fatigue,
asthma and insomnia.
2
- PAIN RELIEF Yoga
can ease pain. Studies have demonstrated that practicing yoga asanas
(postures), meditation or a combination of the two, reduced pain for
people with conditions such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, auto-immune
diseases and hypertension as well as arthritis, back and neck pain,
carpal tunnel syndrome, fibromyalgia, eczema, irritable bowel syndrome
and other chronic conditions. Some practitioners report that even
emotional pain can be eased through the practice of yoga.
3
- BETTER BREATHING Yoga
teaches people to take slower, deeper breaths. This helps
to improve lung function, trigger the body’s relaxation response and
increase the amount of oxygen available to the body.
4
- FLEXIBILITY Yoga
helps to improve flexibility and mobility, increasing range of movement
and reducing aches and pains. Many people can’t touch their toes
during their first yoga class. Practitioners begin to use the correct
muscles to make the movement and, over time, the ligaments, tendons and
muscles gradually lengthen and elasticity is increased. These gradual
changes can mean that more and more poses are possible.
5
- INCREASED STRENGTH Yoga
asanas (postures) use every muscle in the body, helping
to increase strength literally from head to toe. And, while the postures
practiced in yoga strengthen the body, they also provide an additional
benefit of helping to relieve muscular tension.
6
- WEIGHT MANAGEMENT Yoga
can aid weight control efforts
by reducing the cortisol levels as well as by burning excess
calories and reducing stress. Yoga also encourages healthy eating habits
and provides a heightened sense of well being and self esteem.
7
- IMPROVED CIRCULATION Yoga
helps to improve circulation and, as a result of various
poses, more efficiently moves oxygenated blood to the body’s cells.
8
- CARDIOVASCULAR CONDITIONING Even
gentle yoga practice can provide cardiovascular benefits by lowering
resting heart rate, increasing endurance and improving oxygen uptake
during exercise.
9
- BETTER BODY ALIGNMENT
Yoga
helps to improve body alignment, resulting in better
posture and helping to relieve back, neck, joint and muscle problems.
10
- FOCUS ON THE PRESENT Yoga
helps us to focus on the present, to become more
aware and to help create mind body health. It opens the way to improved
coordination, reaction time and memory.
For
more information on the benefits cited here and more information on
studies about the health benefits of yoga visit the Yoga
Alliance
site at www.yogaalliance.org.
Additional research information is available on the following sites:
www.iayt.org
(International
Association of Yoga Therapists), www.YogaJournal.com
(Yoga
Journal magazine),
www.yimag.org
(Yoga
International magazine),
www.layogamagazine.com
(LA
YOGA, Ayurveda and Health magazine) and www.umassmed.edu/cfm
(Center
for Mindfulness at the
University
of
Massachusetts
Medical
School)
Click
on the following helpful FYB Horizon links:
FYB
(Feel Your Best) ®
Mailing
Address:
10936
N. Port Washington Rd.
Mequon,
WI 53092
262-241-8796
Out-of-State
Toll Free: 866-375-3975
Info@FeelYourBest.com
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