Hello Everyone. Today’s article is a guest post from Sam Peters.
—–
There is a reason that yoga has been on the upward trend in the past decade. More and more health benefits are being unveiled through various studies by different hospitals and universities. If you aren’t sure if it is right for you, take a closer look at the health benefits of yoga.
- Helps with arthritis
- Stimulates oxygenation of the blood.
- Improves mental and emotional well-being.
- Increases joint health.
- Helps with back pain.
- Lowers blood sugar in diabetics.
- Lowers blood pressure and helps relieve symptoms of heart disease.
- Improves breathing for asthma.
- Relieves some symptoms of menopause.
- Tones muscle while burning fat.
Most people suffer from the majority of these health issues, so the benefits are worth the time. Let’s take a look at why.
1. Helps With Arthritis
Despite the improvement in medicine for patients who suffer from arthritis, there is not yet a cure for the illness. Johns Hopkins admits that there is a need for extracurricular activities that can help reduce the stiffness and pain. The evidence of their ongoing studies suggests that patients who participate in yoga regularly benefit from physical and psychological ailments associated with arthritis. You can also wear a compression legging that helps with stiffness and soreness associated with arthritis.
2. Stimulates Oxygenation Of The Blood
The more flexible your body becomes, the easier it is for blood to flow properly. Oxygenation of the blood happens when the blood absorbs the oxygen your body needs and carries it to the lungs. Certain illnesses make it harder for the blood to absorb the amount of oxygen necessary to live healthy. Yoga can help stimulate the oxygenation by improving physical and mental well-being. A compression legging is great for yoga because it helps with oxygenation and is flexible enough to move the way you need for each pose.
3. Improves Mental & Emotional Well-Being
Since yoga focuses so much on breathing and mental cleansing, it has been known to improve mental health and reduce depression. This is in part because it helps to relieve stress through various breathing and stretching exercises, and because of the oxygenation of the blood.
4. Increases Joint Health
Yoga requires a wide range of poses that work every muscle in the body while at the same time helping increase strength. The increase in strength that builds over time helps with joint problems. The more muscle your body has to work with in the joints, the easier it is for it to perform the required function. This is why it is also helpful for those who suffer from arthritis.
5. Helps Back Pain
For the same reasons that yoga helps with joint health, it has also shown to help those who suffer from chronic back pain. Certain poses are specifically designed to work the muscles in the back, particularly around the spine, which increases strength and flexibility and relieves some of the pain.
6. Lowers Blood Sugar (BS) In Diabetics
Studies are ongoing with this benefit; however, University College of Medical Sciences, in Shahdara, New Delhi took a baseline BS of non-insulin diabetics at the start of the study, then introduced them to 40 minutes of yoga a day for 40 days. The baseline BS showed a significant drop in number in all patients. How and why it affects the body in such a way is still being researched, but the results so far are hard to dispute.
7. Lowers Blood Pressure & Helps Relieve Symptoms Of Heart Disease
The meditative aspect of yoga not only helps with mental health, but it has been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular illnesses such as high blood pressure and heart disease. These issues often arise from stress, and meditative yoga helps stabilize the lining of the blood vessels, once again proving that the oxygenation of the blood plays a key role in overall health.
8. Improves Breathing for Asthma
Breathing exercises in yoga can help properly open up the airways that commonly cause issues for asthma sufferers. While studies have not shown that yoga can do this without the occasional use of appropriate medication, it can help improve the ability to asthmatics to breathe easier.
9. Relieves Some Symptoms of Menopause
Ongoing studies at the University of California are beginning to show that women who participate in yoga classes weekly show a 30% decrease in hot flashes. The University of Illinois reported that women who participate two or more times a week showed an increase in energy and mood, as well as less stress, anxiety, and discomfort (for more, see the health benefits of yoga link above).
10. Tones Muscle While Burning Fat
The various poses and levels of yoga make it easier for the body to increase tone. An all around routine can help every muscle in the body, or you can create one that works on particular problem places. It is good for the cardiovascular system, as well as blood oxygenation, both of which increase the likelihood of burning fat. That means a healthier mind and body, and weight loss too.