Five Amazing Benefits of Yoga
Yoga is one of those mainstream practices that many don’t realize has ties to holistic medicine. It grew in popularity while outside the scope of alternative medicine, but the benefits of yoga are nearly endless. Practicing yoga benefits your brain, muscles, organs, vital functions, and more! There’s a reason why it’s such a popular form of exercise across the globe.
The Benefits of Yoga
Many opt to practice yoga for its typical improvements in mental health and lean muscle growth. But the advantages go far beyond that! Yoga complements the approach of holistic medicine for the entire body. Here are five of our favorite benefits of yoga.
#1 — Muscles and Increased Flexibility
Let’s start with the obvious one: muscles. Yoga may fall into the wheelhouse of alternative medicine, but it’s also a form of physical exercise. Many people, especially women, prefer its method of quick, repetitive movements and prolonged stances to build lean muscles.
But yoga also includes a lot of stretching, which helps improve flexibility. And when the body is more flexible, it’s less prone to sports-related injuries. For this reason alone, many pro athletes use yoga in training to boost their athletic performance.
#2 — Mental Health and Energy
The other obvious benefit is improved mental health. Yoga incorporates deep breathing exercises that slow the heart rate and help regulate stress and anxiety. But another more unknown perk is heightened energy. By improving respiration, you boost your energy!
#3 — Cardiovascular Health
Doctors of holistic medicine promote yoga because it does wonders for your heart and blood. Improved breathing increases oxygen levels and lowers blood pressure. That improves blood flow and makes your entire cardiovascular system happy.
#4 — Safe Weight Loss
Using risky fad diets or exercise regimes to lose weight can be unsafe. Doctors, especially those within holistic and alternative medicine, use yoga as a safe alternative. You lose weight because of the exercise (which is mild and gentle on your body), and you also balance your metabolism, making it easier for you to lose weight naturally.
#5 — Positive Mindset
Lastly, yoga can completely alter your mindset to a more positive one. As you start to manage stress and anxiety with yoga, you’ll see changes in your way of thinking. Your mind relaxes, your concentration and focus improve, your sleep improves, energy increases, and physical symptoms like headaches and pain subside. It’s easy to see why you’ll start to think more positively and see the world for better.