Health Benefits Of Yoga

Health Benefits of Yoga - Pregnancy, Mental and Physical Health

What are the health benefits of yoga?
Research suggests that yoga:

• Help improve general well-being by relieving stress, supporting good health habits, and improving mental/emotional health, sleep and balance
• Relieve lower back pain and neck pain
• Relieve menopause symptoms
• Help people manage anxiety or depressive symptoms associated with difficult life situations (but yoga has not been shown to help manage anxiety disorders, clinical depression, or posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD])
• Help people quit smoking
• Help overweight or obese people lose weight
• Help people with chronic diseases manage their symptoms and improve their quality of life. (1)

Yoga provides physical and mental benefits. Asanas, stretches and flexes are known as different muscle groups. Here are some reasons to do yoga:

Makes you flexible:
When your hip muscles tighten, this can strain the knee joint because the thigh and calf align improperly.

Builds muscle strength:
When your muscles are strong, they protect you from arthritis and back pain, among others.

Improvement in posture:
Improper posture can cause back, neck, and other muscle and joint problems.

Prevents cartilage and joint breakdown:
When you do yoga, the joints undergo a full range of motion. It helps prevent degenerative arthritis and reduces disability by using parts of cartilage that are not commonly used.

Improve bone health:
A lot of asanas in yoga require you to use your body weight.

Boost Immunity:
Yoga asanas shrink and stretch your muscles and move the limbs, causing increased lymphatic irritation. (2)