In this post I want to talk about the benefits of Yoga for health. I also want to introduce the format of a class and some tips to follow to start practicing Yoga regularly. Let’s go! This ancient Indian philosophy dating back thousands of years, was projected as a path to spiritual enlightenment but today the physical benefits of practicing Hata Yoga have found enormous popularity as a form of gentle stress management exercise.
There are many varieties of yoga each essentially based on positions, Asanas, practiced by paying attention to the perception of breathing. Researchers have found that regular yoga practice can produce many health benefits, including normalizing blood pressure in the wake of stress regulation. Over time, yoga practitioners achieve lower levels of stress and an increase in feelings of happiness and well-being. This happens due to the concentration on the postures and breathing that ends up functioning as a form of meditation.
If you want to delve deeper into the function of breathing in Yoga, you can read the post I published on this topic by clicking on the following link: The correct breathing and all its benefits The classic techniques of Yoga date back more than five thousand years, as I explain in the publication on the Origins of Yoga, if you want you can see it in the following link: What is Yoga and where it comes from.
Practice stimulates the ability to exert oneself, intelligence, precision, commitment and dedication.
The practice of Yoga consists of three main elements: exercise, breathing and meditation. The exercises are designed to put pressure on the endocrine system. This increases the efficiency of this important regulatory system of the body, thereby improving overall health.
Breathing techniques increase breath control to improve the functioning of the body and mind. Exercises and breathing prepare the body and mind for meditation, which focuses on achieving a calm mind, which allows silence and healing from daily stress. When practiced regularly meditation can become a powerful and sophisticated discipline to achieve physical, mental and emotional well-being.
There are several strands of Yoga, each with a slightly different inclination. The most popular are Hata, Bikram, Iyengar and Vinyasa Yoga.
How is a Yoga session
Each Yoga pose or Asana is maintained for a period of time and is linked to the breath. A session usually begins with the basic postures and moves towards more vigorous or challenging postures. A full yoga session should exercise every part of the body and should include:
- Paranayama, which are breath control practices.
- Relaxation
- Meditation
A complete Yoga session should include all of the different types of poses:
- Lying postures
- Seated postures
- Standing postures
- Inverted postures
- Postures in extension
- Flexion postures
- Torsion postures
- Postures in balance
The postures in extension are those that open the body in front, such as the cobra or the bridge and the postures in flexion are those that open it from behind and collect it from the front, like the child’s posture, for example.
How the practice benefits your health
Yoga is an activity to practice for a long time, the longer you practice it, the more benefits you can enjoy. Over the years you will develop strength and flexibility, while relaxing the body and calming your mind. Asanas affect muscles, joints, bones, glands, internal organs, lungs and brain.
The health benefits of Yoga also include the cardiovascular system (the heart and arteries). Asanas are isometric, meaning they seek to maintain muscle tension for a short period of time and this improves cardiovascular conditioning and circulation.
There are studies that show that the regular practice of Yoga can help normalize blood pressure, improve blood circulation and the digestive system. The massaging effect of the muscles accelerates slow digestion. Musculoskeletal joints move using their full ratio of motion using the entire area of motion for which they are intended, which encourages mobility and relieves pressure on joints and muscles, increasing flexibility. Keeping Asanas longer can encourage strength and endurance. Enduring Asanas can help prevent osteoporosis and even help people already diagnosed with this bone degeneration if practiced carefully, under the supervision of a qualified yoga teacher.
Benefits of long-term yoga practice
The long-term benefits of consistent practice include reduced back pain and improved posture, as well as nervous system relief and muscle tension relief. Focusing the mind on breathing combined with the maintenance of Asanas calms the nervous system, reduces stress, anxiety and fatigue. Better levels of concentration and energy are obtained. An increase in feelings of calm and well-being is manifested.
Yoga can be practiced by people of very different ages. It is a non-competitive activity and suitable for anyone regardless of their fitness level or age. The teacher must carefully guide, observe and modify the student’s postures when necessary. The postures should not cause pain, if it hurts you must reduce the demand of your practice, it is important to keep the activity within the limits of your physique. If you are over 40 and have not exercised your body for a long period of time or have a pre-existing medical condition, you should carefully check your abilities before incorporating any work routine. Better perform exercises to test your current condition.
Yoga classes usually have between 10 and 20 people. This allows the teacher to give individual attention and suggestions to get the most out of their class. To get the most benefit in your classes, we propose the following recommendations:
- Wear comfortable clothes
- Also use a mat or a carpet, not sliding, since many positions will be done sitting or lying down, and others will need you to “grip” the floor well.
- Let at least three or four hours pass after your last meal.
- Always inform your teacher of your sensations, especially if they are annoying, so that he or she can advise you
- If you’ve had a recent injury, illness, high blood pressure, heart problems or osteoporosis, let your teacher know.
- Try not to talk during class because this would alter the rhythm and concentration, yours and the other students.
- If you have been inactive for a long time, incorporate gentle breathing control exercises and meditation and softer and less demanding Asanas to gradually increase your capacity and with it the level of difficulty of the postures.
- Finding a properly trained and qualified instructor is essential, so do not spare time in looking for the one that most convinces you and inspires you with greater confidence.
