13 amazing benefits of yoga that you must know!!

Article from:- currentnewstimes.com
Yoga is an old physical discipline from India. It helps
to improve health & happiness.
The explorer of Yoga was Patanjali, and he defined Yoga as
" the cessation of the modificationof the mind " in other
words, to “live in the now” or “to join”.
We translate this as the union of mind and the body.
The literal meaning of word yoga is “to yoke” or “union”.
In this article we shall discuss about 12 benefits of yoga
with yoga asanas (physical postures), yoga videos,
Infographics, Gifs, yoga facts, etc.
11 Top Advantages of Yoga

You can run a 100-meter race but you find it difficult to
touch your toes??
Are you strugglingwith holding the simple back end??
If so, then this first point is for you.
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1. Advantage of Yoga: It makes the
body flexible
Yoga is an exercise that stretches you out and makes you
more flexible, increases your range of movements and
makes you feel more comfortable with your body.

But if you are a beginner, just hold the stretches and poses
for about 10 to 20 seconds to lengthen your muscles &
joints.
Then, day by day your joints, ligaments, and tendons will
become habitual and adaptable to such yoga poses.
Research-based analysis
International Journal for Yoga conducted a study to see the
impact of yoga on athletes over a 10 weeks period and the
results were that the athletes who performed yoga gain
the flexibility as compared to the athletes were not doing
yoga.
Thus, Yoga reallyhelps in gaining flexibility.
Now, clickhere to know which yoga asanas are good for
flexibilitywith yoga videos.

Yoga Facts
2. You can maintain your Blood
Pressure with yoga.

It helps in maintaining blood pressure because it supports
good circulationof blood, especially in hands & feet.
Inverted & Twisting poses encourage deoxygenated blood
to flow out from your internal organs back to the heart
thus reduces swelling in hands & feet if you have and this
also reduces blood pressure.
Research-based analysis
In 2011, Evidence-basedComplementary and Alternative
Medicine published research according to which Iyengar
Yoga improves blood pressure.
In this study, participants were not receivingany
treatment or medicine and were having slightly elevated
blood pressure.
They divided these participants into two groups.
The 1st group which had no experienceabout yoga
performed Iyengar exercises for over 12 weeks. The other
group made personalized dietary adjustments.

The researchers found out that the 1st group produced
clinicallymeaningful improvements in 24 hours systolic &
diastolic blood pressure.
Now, Click here to know 7 Gentle Yoga Postures which
will definitely help you out [ Infographics + videos]
Yoga Facts
3. Benefits of Yoga: It makes you stress-
free

Do you know that long-term stress can increase your
risk of mental health disabilities?
So, it is necessary to live a stress-free life and according to
the study conducted by Harvard Health School; they
concluded that Yoga makes you more peaceful, calm and
may lower down your blood pressure and your heart rate.
In fact, Yoga decreases the level of cortisol (Stress
Hormone) which affects the level of serotonin and thus
makes you feel less stressful.
How yoga decreases the level of cortisol will be discussed in
the next point as stress is much more associated with the
nervous system.
And yes, click here to followthese Yoga postures that
will help you reduce your level of cortisol.
Yoga Facts

4. How can yoga help us in our nervous
system?
As I am talking about our nervous system than you must
know some basics about it to understand well.
You and I have two types of the nervous system:
sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic
nervous system antagonistic to each other means their
functions are opposite to each other.
The sympathetic nervous system is responsible for
fight and flight mode which is tended to function on a daily
basis.

The parasympathetic nervous system deals with
autonomic functions such as heart and metabolic rates and
when this part of our nervous is active blood pressure and
heart rates are lowered and the body became relaxed.
And what happens when you are dealing with your
stressful job and busy lives?
At, this moment our body produces a lot of cortisol (stress
hormone) which I already discussed a little in the previous
point. With a lot of cortisol, it dampens our reflexes, our
memory, and our focus thus affecting our entire life.
Thus, to reduce the levelof cortisol we need to activate the
parasympathetic nervous system and for that, we need a
strong central nervous system.
How yoga helps in strengthening the nervous system?

Well, yoga can strength our nervous system by increasing
the coordination betweenour body and mind through the
breathing techniques, physical postures, and
mind relaxationmethods.
The above methods also help in stimulating the
parasympathetic nervous system and thus reduces the
high production of cortisol which happens when the
sympathetic nervous system overworked.
Practicing yoga in a group environment helps the nervous
system to get out from the various chronic stress back into
the activation & settling of the body in a more natural
rhythm.
Click here to follow these three yoga asanas that will
strengthen your nervous system with Infographics,
GIFs and videos.
Yoga Facts

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5. Benefits of Yoga on people suffering
from diabetes :)
" According to several studies, yoga can
have a positive effect on high blood sugar by
reducing the stress associated with
hyperglycaemia,".

We have already seen in the previous points that yoga
helps in activating the parasympathetic nervous system
and this nervous system helps to regulate and control
stress hormones and high blood pressure.
And reduced stress levels also help in decreasing the level
of sugar in the blood.
Do you know that Stress also plays a big role in the
development of Type 2 diabetes?
Well, yoga plays a vital role in treating diabetes and it also
prevents the disease from developing by controlling stress
levels and by:
1) Engaging the muscles in physical activity -

Just like other physical exercises, yoga helps to increase
glucose consumption by muscles, which lowers the blood
sugar level and also helps to reduce the risk of heart
diseases like a stroke and cardiacarrest.
2) Weight Loss -
Yoga can reduce weight and enhance weight control, both
factors are important for reducing the risk of cancer,
cardiovasculardiseases, and type 2 diabetes.

3) Restoring the pancreatic cells -
Yoga Postures that assist relaxationstretch the pancreas,
which can further activate the production of insulin-
producing beta cells.
With blood sugar down you have reduced the risk of
further diabetic problems like blindness, kidney failure,
and cardiac arrest.
Not only Blood sugar it also lowers bad cholesterol and
increases the production of good cholesterol.
View here to follow three yoga asanas that will help
you cure Blood Sugar with images and videos to assist
you.
Yoga Facts

6. Advantage of Yoga: Relief from Spine
Pain.
Yoga can diminish back pain to a large extent because of
the abdominal muscle and the back muscles are the
two important components of the muscular network of the
spinal cord and these muscles help us maintain the right
posture and movement.
And when these muscles are in the right state, they reduce
the back pain to a large extent.
Stretching is very important if you are suffering from back
pain.
The muscles in the back of the thigh which we
call Hamstring muscles requires stretching in the case for
people who are suffering from lower spine pain.
Stretching along with rhythmic breath willhelp the
nutrients to flow in along with the toxins to flow out of
your muscles and thus it will nourish the soft tissues and
muscles in the back.

Perceptioncan also increase suffering. Emotional factors
may not change the physiology of the spine but may
enlarge the problem.
Thus, reducing the awareness of the pain through
the meditation can diminish the feeling of spinal pain.
People who used to work sitting in front of their computer
have spinal compression.
Yoga counteracts these situations as it maintains a healthy
spine through stretching, conscious breathing, by
maintaining posture and by overcoming anxiety & stress
so to reduce back pain caused by mental and emotional
factors.
Click here for the 10-minute sequence of 10 Yoga
Poses for back pain [ Infographic]

Facts about Yoga.
7. Advantage of Yoga: Makes your lungs
more effective
" According to a press release by the AmericanCollegeof
Chest Physicians, they found it that after practicing yoga
for 12 weeks it improved in shortness of breath, lung
function and inflammation,"
Yoga breathing exercises that extend your inhalation and
exhalation, such as the gentle lengthening of equal breath

or rapid breathing, like kapalabhati can strengthen your
lungs to a large extent.
Pranayama, breath awareness can help with lenient
asthma and COPD (Chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease) by reducing inflammationand by increasing
productivity of lungs.
The health of respiratory systems willimprove by
exercising yoga breathing techniques that include
balancing, simulating practices and calming.
Yoga also improves the respiratory system by reducing
stress as it pacifies our nervous system.
You can also help you manage symptoms of breathlessness
with help of Pranayama breathing techniques.

Yoga also supports breathing by the nose, through the
nose the air filters thus preventing the dirt particles
to enter the lungs and warms the air & add moisture to it
as cold or dry air can cause asthma in sensitive people.
Longer breaths could cleanyour nasal passages and is
helpful for people with allergies.
Consult your doctor first before starting any exercise
program if you are suffering from COPD.
The following yoga asanas will help you improve your
lungs
1) Big Toe Pose
2) Cat Pose
3) Cobra Pose
4) Bridge Pose
View here to watch this video for Kundalini Yoga
Breathing Exercises on my blog article.

Do you know about nude yoga??
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8. Advantage of Yoga: Reduces
Inflammation
When a body is under stress or when is subjected to injury
than inflammationis the automatic response of the
immune system.
When our body is attacked by pathogens than our immune
system inflames to eliminate these harmful cells from the
body and promotes recovery.
There are two types of Inflammation - Acute and chronic.
Acute inflammation occurs for a short period and
responses to an injured area by swelling.This gives a
signal to the immune system to heal the particular area by
sending white blood cells.

Chronic inflammation happens when the body is in a
continuous state of stress probably because of food habits,
lifestyle or because of an autoimmune disorder (a
situation in which the immune system attacks the healthy
cells).
In chronic inflammation, swelling remains as it and stops
the healing from the beginning.
Stress, high inflammatory foods like unstable oil, sugar,
over-workout, high insulin levels, overweight all helps in
increasing inflammation.
How Yoga plays a big role in reducing inflammation?
Healthy lifestyle and decrease stress levels willhelp your
body to recover from inflammationquickly.
You already know that yoga helps to fight stress by
activating the parasympathetic nervous system and
reducing stress levels helps to reduce inflammation.
Yoga also helps in the production of adiponectin, an anti-
inflammatory hormone. Thus, with the presence of
adiponectin, it will help inflammationto reduce quickly.
Studies have shown that 11-12 weeks of yoga could
reduce inflammatory markersin the body.
The following are the yoga postures that will help you
reduce inflammation.
1) Warrior 2 Pose
2) Supine Pose

3) Twisted Figure 4 pose
9. Yoga helps you Build Self-Confidence.
The yoga asanas likeChild's pose and pigeon pose, both
these poses as well the other poses help the mind relax.

With Yoga breathing exercises, it helps to concentrate on
your breath and in this way, it promotes self-awareness
and leads the mind to relaxation.
Yoga practice helps you to learn self- calmness and the
ability to remain calm helps you to restore self-
confidence.
In yoga, I realize that each of us has unique abilities and
capabilities and we all are unique in some other way and
this helps us to be comfortable with our own body and
mind.
"And when I love my body, it helped me to gain
confidence with my own-self."
The best yoga poses to gain self-confidence are: -
1) Crow Pose
2) CamelPose
3) Eagle Pose
4) PigeonPose
10. Do you know that yoga can make
smart??
Research has shown that those who practice yoga
regularly achieve higher scores in brain fitness
assessments.
A study has shown that practicing Hatha yoga or
mindfulness meditation regularly improves the brain's
executive functions to a great extent.

Yoga Breathing exercises activates prefrontal cortex of the
brain, therefore making you more aware and active about
your senses and emotions.
Therefore, if you are a student, consider performing yoga
for a few minutes before heading to the classroom. That
will reallyhelp you stay sharp and focused.
Journal of Physical Activity & Healthalso says
that 20 minutes of yoga makes your brain more
effective and helps too quickly and accurately process
information.
Is yoga better than other exercises like aerobics?
Well, the results of a study conducted by the University of
Illinois in which researchers had 30 women who could
either do yoga or aerobics for 20 minutes.
Conclusion:

The female students after the yoga practice could
focus and process information more accurately and
efficiently and could also learn new information quickly as
compared to those who did aerobic exercises like running
on the treadmill.
These 3 Yoga asanas will be beneficial for your brain.
1. Big Toe Pose (Padangusthasana)
2. Child's Pose (Balasana)
3. Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)
11. Advantage of Yoga: Improves Sexual
Health

 Yoga, first, reduces your stress by reducing your
cortisol levels thus making your sex life more
awesome.
 Yoga strengthens your pelvic floor muscles & thus
promotes stronger orgasms.
 Yoga helps to focus on your present moments and
increases your awareness thus more present you
are more it will boost your sex life.
These 3 Yoga asanas will be beneficial for sexual
health
1. Happy Baby (Ananda Balasana)
2. Cat Pose (Marjaryasana)
3. One-Legged Pigeon (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana)

12# Yoga for the healthy liver
The liver plays a vital role in maintaining a healthy body.
The liver helps to keep toxins and carcinogens away from
the bloodstream.
You cannot eradicate toxins from your body if your liver is
not functioning well and this could also help the toxins to
recirculateinto the bloodstream.
So, start practicing yoga to keep your liver healthy.
The functions of the liver are to decompose medicines and
hormones and to store vitamins and iron for the body's
consumption.

To keep liver healthy, you should include a healthy diet
and various yoga practices may also aid you to detoxify
and remove accumulated material from the liver.
To really prove you that yoga helps the liver than see this
case study published by "European scientific journal" on
the effects of yoga on the liver here.
However, click here to view three easy yoga asanas to
keep your liver healthy with steps & images.
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13# Yoga For Thyroid
Thyroid disease is a medical disorder which influence the
function of thyroid gland. The most common symptoms of
thyroid are low energy, incapability to tolerate cold, dry
skin, constipation and there might swell of throat, which is
also known as goiter.
It is the best to discuss this problem with the doctor but
yoga can help in overcoming various issues related to
thyroid disease.
This research paper has shown that yoga has a positive
effect on improving thyroid functions.

But yoga cannot completely eradicate the thyroid
imbalance and we must consider yoga as a complementary
therapy.
A lifestyle with full of stress is the major contributor to the
thyroid disease but giving oneself in yoga can manage
stress to a great extent.
According to Dr. Pushpa Salini, Meditation and Yoga
expert, Ujjai Pranayama can help to control thyroid
diseases. Drinking a mixture of coriander seeds soaked in
water is best home remedy for managing thyroid."
Yoga can prevent and cure thyroid problems in following
ways:-
1) Yoga can help with fatigue & muscle pain if you are
already suffering with thyriodrelates.
2) Pranayama and asanas influence relaxationand reduce
stress.
3) Yoga poses which are related to throat stimulating
improves circulationof blood and flow of energy around
the thyroid which results in stretch and strengthen of
neck.
Yoga postures for your thyroid
The following yoga postures willstrengthen your thyroid.
Do not perform all the yoga asanas at once and adjust the
following poses to suit your body needs.
Be kind & gentle to your body.

Sarvangasana (The Shoulder Stand)
Before performing this yoga pose, warm up yourself by
performing Tadasana orlower back exercises as we suggest relieving any
spinal pain before performing this yoga asana.
Step-by-Step instruction to get into this pose-
1) Put a towel or a blanket below your body for support.
2) Lie down with your arms close to your body and your palms facing down.
3) Use your arms & back to assist you in lifting your legs
4) Now, take a breath inside and lift your legs up to 90 degrees
5) Slowly exhale and bring your legs over your head.
6) Take your hands, put them on your back and slowly lift your legs up.
7) Raise your legs straight up towards the ceiling.
8) Try to keep your body in a straight line as possible.
9) Hold the pose up to 10 seconds and breath normally
10) Release the asana by taking your legs back over your head
11) With the help of your hands bring your upper body down.
12) Get back on the mat and rest.
13) Lie down in corpse pose and rest. Don't get up immediately.
Fish Pose (Matsya)
Caution:- Do not perform this pose if you are pregnant or
suffering from hernia or a neck or back injury.
1) Lie on your back with your legs and arms extended out

2) Lift your pelvis slightly above the floor and slide your arms
underneath your hips with your palms down
3) Come up onto your elbows and raise your upper body to look
upon your feet
4) Open up the chest and roll the shoulder back
5) Try to bring the crown of the head down on the floor
6) Hold here up to 10-15 seconds and balance gently on your
elbows and the crown of your head
7) Gently release the pose by sliding your head back
8) Release your arms from beneath
9) Now, relax by coming into corpse pose ( savanasana)
10) Stretch out your body and relax until your breath come to normal.
Article By: -
Pushkar Agarwal
Owner of
Current News Times

13 amazing benefits of yoga that you must know!!

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