Yoga is often referred to as a workout with a low impact that stretches your muscles. But anyone who has practiced it begins to see it as a science that targets your holistic wellbeing. Its advantages tend to go far beyond the realm of physical health and flexibility to the land of mental health and happiness.
So let's see the other yoga advantages that people rarely talk about:
Helps you psychologically
Chakras are the energy centers that govern particular behaviors in our bodies. The practice of yoga works on a deep level to realign the chakras that didn't work in an ideal way.
Bodyweight exercises
Some yoga poses require you to place your body in such positions and positions that you ultimately have to support your own body weight. An ideal example here is Chaturanga Dandasana. In addition, it strengthens our leg muscles when we try to hold standing poses such as warrior poses or triangle poses longer. For these reasons, malasana, the squat holding pose, and vrksasana (tree pose) are also beneficial.
Challenging limits and letting go
When you start a regular practice of yoga, you begin to better understand your body's demands. Having an element of ease in your asana is essential. So, when you can trust your body to stretch a bit more or where you can let go, you start to understand. The increased flexibility also helps you to build a mindset for growth in life.
Keeps the joints mobile and prevents injuries
Yoga asanas are designed to let your joints move in ways that they don't get to otherwise, as well as most body parts such as limbs. This is because of our lifestyle. The asanas ensure that their intended full range of motion is experienced by our joints. The muscles are also better equipped to manage shocks and jerks through regular use.
The mind-body connection
Synchronizing one's breath with poses helps the mind concentrate on breathing and body movements to focus its attention. For instance, one's mind focuses on the present pose, the breath, what the next pose is, and which of the two feet to use first, in surya namaskar.
A good-to-know rule of thumb for breathing in yoga poses is: inhale every time your hands move away from the earth/mat and go towards the sky/ceiling. Exhale every time your hands move towards the earth/mat. Focusing on breath and poses in this way increases your mindfulness and is in itself, a form of meditation.
