Yoga
Develop inner awareness by focusing your attention on your body’s abilities at the present moment.
ABOUT YOGA
Yoga is a practice that connects the mind and body. The word Yoga is derived from the work “Yuj” which means to yolk or unite. It is an art and science of healthy living. There are various styles that include different methods including physical postures, meditation, relaxation, breathing techniques and chanting.
BENEFITS OF YOGA
Yoga offers physical and mental health benefits for people of all ages. And, if you’re going through an illness, recovering from surgery, or living with a chronic condition, yoga can become an integral part of your treatment and potentially hasten healing.
Other benefits include
Manage emotions
A regular yoga practice can raise levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that is often depleted in people who suffer from depression or anxiety. Yoga can also boost levels of other brain chemicals that affect feelings of well-being, including endorphins, theta waves, and beta waves.
Improves sleep
One possible reason explained for better sleep quality in Yoga practitioners is that Yoga exercises involve stretching and relaxing of muscles causing significant physical and mental exertion resulting in less sleep latency, more deep sleep, less sleep disturbances, and better sleep efficiency.
Helps nervous system
Gives the autonomic nervous system time to work efficiently - breathing, healing, digesting and balancing hormones
Improves self-discipline
Just by getting on the mat, moving the body, and consciously breathing, we improve our ability to respond to life with less stress and more discernment. Change the body and you will change the mind. Yoga helps us manage thoughts, feelings, and behaviours.
Improves focus and concentration
Practicing yoga postures which involve inversions, such as headstand and shoulder stand, also helps to increase blood circulation to the brain. Improved blood circulation means the brain receives more oxygen, thus increasing alertness, awareness and memory.
Cleanses the body of toxins and impurities
The body eliminates waste through its circulatory system, digestive system and lymphatic system. Through yoga, we can help the body eliminate impurities such as carbon dioxide, lactic acid, and lymphatic fluid, while allowing oxygenated and nutrient-rich blood to flow readily to the organs.
Improves focus
Practicing yoga postures which involve inversions, such as headstand and shoulder stand, also helps to increase blood circulation to the brain. Improved blood circulation means the brain receives more oxygen, thus increasing alertness, awareness and memory.
Opens energy pathways
Through the movement and stresses we generate in our yoga asana practice, we both stimulate energy flow and reduce or remove blockages to that flow. Movement and stress can create tiny electrical currents and magnetic fields in the body (through a process called piezoelectricity).
Removes emotional/habitual holding patterns
Yoga produces physical changes related to emotions. An energizing yoga practice, for example, can help us feel more energized if we're experiencing sadness. A gentle practice or a targeted breathing practice may help reduce the jitteriness or racing heart associated with emotions like anxiety and anger
Lifts the mood
By improving circulation in the endocrine glands, a consistent yoga practice enhances the functions of hormones that play a primary role in the physiology of depression. This results in a reduction in depression and improved overall mood.