Yoga: The Meaning and The Benefits

Yoga meaning ‘Yuji’ or ‘Union’ is a practice to unite body and mind together and helps in acclaiming peace of the mental and physical being. While Yoga is not likely to be termed as close to exercises like aerobic, it is definitely a form of exercise itself. 

According to experts, yoga is the tool to build healthy habits, self-inquiry, and nonattachment. When done with the right state of mind, it brings peace to your body and brain. Yoga, as many say, helps in making conscious choices about your life, health, and wealth. One of the well-versed books of the world ‘Yoga sutras of Patanjali’ defines yoga as the cessation of mind wandering. 

Containing Yoga into your daily life is a habit that’s indescribable, here are the benefits of Yoga that you must not have known before.

  1. Deals with anxiety 

Yoga helps in finding a sense of peace within and also ensures your presence at the moment which can help in reducing anxiety. 

  1. Improves heart health 

Unhealthy living and providing less time to your body could be a major factor in deteriorating heart health. Practicing yoga poses ensures regular pumping blood throughout your body, thus improving heart status and reducing cardiovascular diseases. 

  1. Reduces depression 

Yoga decreases the level of cortisol in your body and acts as a major anti-depressant. It also lowers the level of ACTH, a hormone responsible for influencing the release of cortisol. Experts believe yoga is one of the most influential practices to deal with depression. 

  1. Improves chronic pain 

Chronic pain is an issue faced by millions of people. Researchers and yoga experts believe chronic pain can be reduced if you incorporate yoga into your daily life. 

  1. Escalates flexibility 

One of the major reasons why people opt for yoga is to improve mental and physical flexibility. Yoga poses might be a little tough at times but they make your body more flexible. Yoga also helps in body balance and grants you a better posture.

  1. Grants strength 

One of the unknown benefits of yoga is it helps a person to have more strength and endurance. Yoga poses such as Cobra pose, Boat pose, Four limbed staff pose are specifically designed to build muscular strength and muscle endurance. 

  1. Improves breathing 

Yoga has a combination of breathing exercises that helps in gaining control of breathing habits. Pranayam, one of the major breathing practices is the process of breath regulation and meditation. Practicing yoga helps in improving breathing which itself helps in avoiding several diseases. 

  1. Promotes sleep quality 

Our sleep inadequacy has unseen effects on our body and obviously not the good ones. Sleep disorder and poor sleep quality lead to obesity, migraine, depression, and other major diseases. Yoga deals with all the factors that are responsible for lacking sleep and ensures better sleep quality. 

  1. Improvises organ functioning 

When you do yoga, your whole body is energized and every organ is massaged. Practicing yoga for years and being habituated to it might be challenging but it grants tremendous benefits to both your mind and body. 

  1. Develops gastrointestinal health 

Practicing yoga helps in improving the digestive system and leaves your body free of any type of gastric issues. You might have faced indigestion problems before but once you start doing yoga, you are free of such issues. 

  1. Boosts concentration 

Yoga poses to develop the ability to concentrate, meditation, and concentrating on breath is one such form. When you do yoga, you have improved concentration. 

  1. Checks anger issues 

For people who are short-tempered, yoga is a boon. Yoga helps in combating anger issues and also keeps a check on other negative factors that might affect your body. It helps you in gaining a stress-free life. 

If you have not given it a try yet, go for it. Yoga is life-changing!