Yoga is the union of the individual consciousness or the soul with the universal consciousness or spirit. It is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines. Yoga is more than 10,000 years old. The earliest mention of this tradition is found in the oldest surviving literature Rig Veda, in Nasadiya Sukta. As Sri Sri Ravi Shankar says, “Yoga is not just exercise and asanas. It is the emotional integration and spiritual elevation with a touch of mystic element, which gives you a glimpse of something beyond all imagination.” Yoga has many unexpected healthy benefits as well and the best part is people from any age group can perform the asanas. Here we bring to you five health benefits of Yoga.
1. Practising Yoga gives you emotional health boost. Yoga helps you fight depression and other psychiatric problems including sleep disorder. Practising Yoga stimulates the production of oxytocin hormone. Yoga and meditation also results in higher serotonin levels which help you have a better mental life.
2. Yoga is one of the best treatments for chronic back pains. In a study of 80 individuals with chronic lower back pain, the group that participated in just one week of yoga showed less disability and greater flexibility than patients who completed other physical exercises. It even improves your spinal flexibility.
3. Yoga can help with the problem of infertility. Couples are increasingly turning to Yoga for reducing mental and physical stress and increasing the chances of fertility. Yoga allows better blood flow to the reproductive organs, improving the organ and hormone functions, thus increasing the chances of fertility.
4. Yoga plays a huge role in reducing your chances of having heart disease. In a research, 19 patients having heart disorder were being studied. Adding eight weeks of yoga to the treatment of nine of the patients increased their capacity for exercise, improved their heart health, and enhanced their overall quality of life.
5. Yoga even benefits your brain. Practising Yoga reduces your mental and physical stress, thus taking out the unwanted stuffs out of your mind and you feel free. And when you feel free, your brain automatically functions easily and you will be able to recall easily. This process thus boosts your memory power and even you can have more organised thoughts.
