By Faye Martins
Many people practice yoga for better health. However, people tend to respond to existing problems before changing lifestyles. We all know that practicing yoga is a great way to have a healthier and happier life, but sometimes it can feel like too much effort to go to group yoga classes at the gym every day. Fortunately, there are many different ways to practice yoga in a studio or in the privacy of your own home. Even if you live in an apartment or have little space in your home, there is enough room to roll out a yoga mat. Let’s look at the benefits and remember to learn and build on the basics as we go forward.
Reducing Stress Levels
Practitioners have praised the relaxing and stress-reducing qualities of this practice. In recent decades, yoga has exploded in popularity as a form of exercise. Originally, yoga was designed to give practitioners health benefits, with varying levels of physical effort and mental tranquility or concentration. The yoga for better health routine described here is a simplified version with easy poses intended to get students started. Breathing exercises are also a great way to lower stress levels. They restore our breathing capacity, which helps us take slow deep breaths under heavy emotional trauma.
Stress Relief
Yoga is an excellent stress relief exercise because it helps us relax and release tension. As a result, the relief that we receive calms down the neurotransmitter chemicals in our brains and bodies. Not only does this make meditation seem like an attractive alternative to coping with stress, but it also leads to better sleep habits. Stress is the root cause of many health problems, including depression and increased heart rate. Yoga will lower stress levels by reducing the amount of cortisol in your body. Establish a calming routine that doesn’t take too much time or effort in order to reap the benefits.
Holistic Health
There are numerous benefits to practicing yoga. One major benefit is that it improves the balance and stability of the body. In fact, people with conditions like arthritis or diabetes find relief from their aches and pains within a short time. Yoga also improves emotional health as it has been proven to relax the body during periods of worry and stress.
Improved Well-Being
The powerful breathing techniques that come with practicing yoga can also decrease blood pressure in some instances. Yoga has many proven effects on the body. For example, it can significantly reduce blood pressure, lower cholesterol and treat insomnia. Yoga also strengthens the immune system, helps fight off cancer, and reduces stress. In addition to these benefits, yoga provides mental peace by reducing anxiety and depression and preventing dementia or hampering memory.
Reducing Back Pain
One of the most common reasons for back pain or “back surgery” is weak muscles. Fresh twists reduce back stress, strengthen abdominal muscles and increase circulation. Strong abs are vital to a healthy back. Abs support the spine during movement and cause less strain on backs during heavy activity. There are many causes of back pain, but one ‘classic’ back pain is called a lumbar disc herniation. Disc herniations develop when the discs weaken and the outer walls can no longer provide stability.
About Pinched Nerves
Over time, the discs create a pinching effect on a nerve root as it exits the spinal canal. To relieve your back pain, try exercises that specifically work on improving posture. The objectives are strengthening muscles that support your lower spine, and pinpointing where problematic pressure is located. Practice these exercises before you do anything else to keep your muscles relaxed and tension-free all day long.
Yoga at Home
There are so many ways that you can practice yoga at home. If you have a local yoga studio nearby, they might offer classes with different teachers and different levels of difficulty. If not, there are videos online that offer great tips for beginner and advanced routines. Yoga is an affordable exercise to suit any time available in your schedule. Yoga for better health works to improve your life on every level.
Streaming Videos
Until recently, the only way you could practice at home was by following a book. However, now there are so many videos on the Internet, Yoga has become accessible to anyone. You can use props or go fully hands-free with a mat. There is no limit to all the information. Techniques that were once secrets and took decades of study to learn are freely available on the Internet. Yet, classes give us a place to gather with like-minded practitioners. We cross-reference, share experiences, and bond with each other. So, we go full circle and come back to practicing Yoga for better health together.
© Copyright – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division
https://aurawellnesscenter.com/store/
Click here to see our online Yoga Nidra teacher training course.
Are you an experienced teacher looking for YACEP credits or continuing education?
Subscribe to Our Newsletter for Special Discounts and New Products
Related Resources
52 Essential Principles of Yoga Philosophy to Deepen your Practice
by Rina Jakubowicz
A Relaxing Way to De-stress, Re-energize, and Find Balance
by Gail Boorstein Grossman.
YOGA: THE PATH TO HOLISTIC HEALTH
by B.K.S. Iyengar
TEACHING YOGA: Essential Foundations and Techniques
By Mark Stephens
I’ve been practicing yoga for a couple of months and I feel how my body has improved. You are correct, we do practice yoga for better health. It does not cure illness, but it promotes body healing that can improve our immune system to fight stress than can cause some illnesses.