Yoga And Health: How To Keep Away Your Emotional And Physical Pain

Health Benefits of Yoga

Yoga is an ancient holistic system of maintaining physical, mental and spiritual well-being that has great significance and enjoys immense popularity in present times, when a hectic, stressful lifestyle is fast becoming the norm for most working people. There are several different kinds of yogic exercises or “asanas” that help keep your body and mind fit. For instance, simply sitting on folded hunches after a meal and breathing in and out deeply for 5-10 minutes ensures proper digestion and sound sleep. Regular practice of breathing exercises has also proven beneficial for those who suffer from ailments like asthma. These also have the added advantage of improving blood circulation in the body and thereby reducing the chances of accumulation of toxins in the system. Consequently, vital organs of the body like the liver, gall bladder and kidneys remain in good shape. There are also many kinds of yogic postures that involve stretching of the limbs. This increases the overall flexibility of the body and thereby prevents and cures stiffness and pain in body joints. Practically all yogic exercises have the natural effect of burning away accumulated fat deposits and reduce body weight in a healthy, gradual way. Especially useful in this regard are the exercises that require you to support your entire body weight on your shoulders and the ones that exert pressure on the hips and the abdomen. Cumulatively, yoga significantly minimizes the risk of the clogging of blood vessels, lowers blood cholesterol and sugar levels, regulates blood pressure and prevents cardiovascular ailments. Yoga also regulates the activities of the several glands in the body, and thereby a healthy balance of hormonal activity in the body. An integral component of yoga is exercises that require you to relieve yourself of all mental tensions and allow your mind and body to relax. “Pranayam” is one of such exercises in which one is required to meditate and regulate the rate of inhalation and exhalation, which results in a calming influence. Such exercises have the immediate effect of calming you down and making you physically and emotionally more resilient. They also serve as natural ways of purging both physical and emotional pain. You may find these exercises especially useful if you are suffering from depression or emotional trauma of some kind. In the long term, such exercises sharpen your memory, increase your concentration and make you more confident and efficient both at professional and personal levels.