Yoga is a system of physical, mental, and spiritual activities that originated in ancient India. Its goal is to control and silence the mind by recognizing a detached witness-consciousness unaffected by the mind or ordinary suffering.
Practicing yoga strengthens parts of the brain that play a role in memory, awareness, and thought. It also helps reduce anger by increasing feelings of compassion and interconnection.
Increased Flexibility and Strength
Yoga poses stretch and strengthen muscles, ligaments and joints. This improves flexibility and reduces the risk of injury, especially during athletic pursuits such as football, soccer or running.
The yoga practice also involves breathing techniques that loosen tight muscles, enhancing the benefits of stretching. In addition, yoga helps to build strength and endurance as many of the poses are performed using the body’s own weight as resistance.
Studies have shown that a yoga practice can help athletes improve balance, flexibility and muscle strength. For example, a 10-week preliminary study involved a group of Division II male college athletes who participated in biweekly yoga sessions and a control group that didn’t participate in yoga. Performance measurements were taken before and after the 10-week study.
The research team observed significant positive changes for the YG subjects in both balance and flexibility measures, as well as whole-body measures. The researchers believe these changes are due to both the increased elasticity of the connective tissues and the neural effects of yoga training.
Reduced Stress and Anxiety
A regular yoga practice can help reduce stress and anxiety. Anxiety is the body’s natural fight or flight response and can cause feelings of nervousness, dread, and fear. It is a common mental health issue that can be difficult to manage without treatment.
Yoga can improve mood and alleviate anxiety symptoms by promoting relaxation and boosting self-awareness. It also helps people develop healthy coping mechanisms to cope with life’s challenges.
A 2010 study found that yoga improved mood and reduced anxiety levels more than walking did. Researchers believe that this is due to yoga’s ability to increase brain activity of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a neurotransmitter that improves mood and reduces stress.
Practicing yoga can also improve sleep quality, which can further lower stress and anxiety levels. To learn more about how yoga can benefit your mental and emotional health, consider talking with a licensed therapist who specializes in this field. BetterHelp has a nationwide network of therapists that can provide you with the support and guidance you need to overcome your stress or anxiety.
Improved Sleep
Yoga is relaxing and can improve your sleep. It has been shown to improve sleep quality by reducing stress and anxiety, increasing mindfulness, and improving breathing and relaxation. Practicing yoga before bed can help the body and mind prepare for rest by activating the parasympathetic nervous system and dampening the effects of the sympathetic nervous system.
Yoga has also been shown to improve sleep in older adults. In one study, adults over 60 with insomnia who practiced yoga twice a week for 12 weeks showed improved sleep quality and efficiency. They also experienced reduced depression, anxiety and fatigue and reported an overall increase in their quality of life.
The objective of this study was to systematically evaluate and perform a meta-analysis of the evidence on the efficacy of yoga in improving sleep quality and in decreasing insomnia in women. The literature on these subjects was retrieved from four electronic databases: Medline/PubMed, ClinicalKey, ScienceDirect, and Embase, and the Cochrane Library.
Improved Relationships
A regular yoga practice is a great way to improve your relationship by developing the ability to communicate and be aware of your emotions. This can help you to diffuse conflict rather than escalate it and become open to listening to your partner’s perspective.
A recent study found that participants who were in a committed relationship reported greater satisfaction with their relationships after participating in a couples’ yoga class together. This is likely due to the fact that the practice promotes mindfulness, which has been linked to happier and more satisfying relationships.
The results from this study also demonstrated that yogic practice may be a promising modality for fostering compassion, as it appears to have positive within-person impacts on mindfulness and self-compassion (although the strength of these impacts at the daily level warrants caution). It is worth noting that a similar pattern was observed in relation to social connectedness. However, the indirect influence of yoga on these outcomes is mediated by its impact on intrapersonal resources and thus supports the view that it can foster healthy relationships.