Having a Regular Yoga Practice Can Significantly Benefit Your Health, Happiness and Wellbeing – Fact!
As those of you who have experience of muscle building will know, the key is in stressing the muscle tissue. This produces tiny little tears that, given adequate resting times, will result in the muscle becoming stronger and/or more pliable for increased flexibility. Runners, cyclists, boxers – any sportsperson becomes better at what they do by stressing the required tissues in such a way that they heal in a way that is beneficial for their chosen activity.
If you don’t fancy lifting weights or taking up marathon running – here’s the good news. Yoga stresses the body’s tissues, and not just the muscles. All tissues – including the fascial tissues such as cartilage, tendons, and even the nerves and the brain – can be targeted, and even at low levels this stress can be enough to strengthen and improve the function of various bodily systems. Plus, we can choose to focus on certain areas that need partucular attention, or apply stress to the whole body in a single session, helping to maintain a physical and physiological equilibrium that also helps us to stay healthy. The body learns to cope with the stress at these low levels, and that enhances its ability to cope with other stressors in real life situations, and substantial improvements have been shown to occur after only 6-8 sessions!
Some of the most commonly seen benefits include –
- Reduce cortisol levels
- Lower stress levels
- Lower blood pressure
- Regulate nervous system activity
- Improve concentration and brain focus
- Increases inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA
- Overcome insomnia
- Manage pain and lessen the perception of pain
- Reduce inflammation
- Enhances over-all health and well-being
- Relieve symptoms of anxiety
- Correct postural issues and muscular tightness/weakness caused by sedentary lifestyles/occupations
- Prevent disease
- Increase proprioceptive awareness
- Strengthen joints
- Aid digestion
- Detoxification
- Neuroplasticity – change and improve brain function
- And more!…..
What sort of yoga should I do?
Here’s the even better news! The positive effects of yoga such as improved functional mobility, improved cognitive performance, improved physiological function, can be seen at approximately the same level, regardless of the style of yoga practiced. You don’t need to do a fast-paced or athletic yoga practice to experience the benefits. Likewise, the only additional benefit you’re likely to experience from being able to put your legs behind your head is that you’ll be able to put your legs behind your head! Not that useful on a functional level (no smutty comments thank you ????)!
So find the style – or combination of styles – that speaks to you. What feels good? What serves you best right now? Know you have the freedom to change it up when you want to and above all else – enjoy your yoga!
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Want to know more?
We’ll be taking a more detailed look at the benefits of having a regular yoga practice, and the evidence behind the claims in the coming weeks. Keep an eye on our blogs page, or sign up for notifications from Eastern Hope Yoga on Facebook.