Top Ten Health Benefits of Yoga You Must Know

Yoga is an ancient philosophical system devised by Maharshi Patanjali that proposes a way to attain enlightenment. Yoga consists of eight parts or limbs that sequentially helps a person rise up the spiritual ladder and attain spiritual enlightenment. Yoga has immense benefits – physical, spiritual, emotional etc. If practice daily and religiously, Yoga can help a person lead a more fulfilling and happy life.

Here are top ten Health benefits of Yoga that you must always know –

1. Improves Flexibility

Yoga poses help a person achieve physical mastery and flexibility. Yoga poses are quite complex and help a person achieve the utmost flexibility around joints, back, neck etc. This is the reason why Yoga is a great exercise to get relief from joint pain, back pain, knee pain etc. Daily practice of Yoga helps a person lead a healthy life and keep all the physical problems at bay.

2. Protects Spine

Yoga is a great exercise for the spine. Most of the asanas or postures help to increase the flexibility of the spine and prevent spinal problems like spondylitis etc. Daily practice of bends – backward and forward bends, twists can keep your spine supple and flexible.

3. Improve Bone Health

Yoga is also a great exercise for improving bone health. Most of the Yoga postures strengthen bones and helps prevent bone problems like osteoporosis etc. There are plenty of postures that demand to lift your weight off ground. Yoga also has immense ability to lower the level of stress hormone or cortisol in the blood system that helps to keep calcium in the bones.

4. Increase Blood Flow

Yoga postures help to increase blood flow in your body. Twisting poses, inverted poses like headstands, handstands, shoulder stands help to increase blood circulation and blood flow to the lungs. Yoga also increases the level of haemoglobin and red blood cells which carry oxygen to the tissues. Regular practice of yoga helps to prevent heart attack and strokes.

5. Improve Immunity

Yoga helps to destroy cancerous cells, improve lymphatic system and dispose of toxic wastes from the body. Hence, your immunity increases substantially and you stay healthy and disease-free.

6. Prevent High Blood Pressure

Yoga improves heart circulation and prevents common heart problems like high blood pressure etc. Through asanas and breathing exercises, you get ample blood supply in your heart which lowers the risk of heart failure or high blood pressure.

7. Improves Memory

Daily practice of Yoga increases blood circulation to the brain and your memory increases. You stay mentally alert and your mental faculties also sharpen. Your efficiency to work increases and you are able to complete the complex task with ease.

8. Prevent Depression And Anxiety

Daily practice of Yoga also helps to improve mental health and prevent common mental health problems like depression and anxiety. Breathing exercises help to prevent thinking problems and overthinking leading to automatic lowering down of mental health problems. Yoga also lowers your heart rate which leads to the automatic reduction in the anxiety. You overall feel more content and happier.

9. Lower down Blood Sugar

Yoga is a great exercise for preventing diabetes. Those suffering from diabetes can get immense help from Yoga. By lowering of cortisol and adrenaline levels, Yoga improves your sensitivity to insulin. It also reduces the risk of common diabetes-related complications like heart attack, kidney failure, and blindness.

10. Increases Concentration

Regular practice of yoga helps to increase concentration and focus. A study has proved that yoga can have immense benefits on coordination, reaction time, memory, and even IQ Scores. Transcendental Meditation helps to solve complex problems, recall and acquire information better.

How has Yoga Benefitted you? Let us know in the comments below.

Vipul has been a spiritual shadhak for several years and practices Yoga and Meditation to enhance his deeper understanding of self.