WHY YOGA?

1.  Increased Body Awareness and Self Esteem:
As young girls, women and humans, we’re susceptible to change and self esteem issues. Practicing yoga gives us an increased awareness of our bodies. Many different yoga moves use small, subtle movements to improve body alignment. This increases a comfort with your own body over time which can lead to better posture and self confidence! Yoga is about focusing inward and self acceptance.

2. Improved Body Chemistry:
Several aspects of our body chemistry an be affected by yoga.  Through increasing blood circulation and burning fat, yoga can lower bad cholesterol levels.  Yoga also induces a ‘relaxation response’, lowering the stress hormone cortisol, by increasing antioxidants and creating a greater sense of well-being. Regular practice of yoga can also increase vitamin C levels in your body,  which helps boost immunity, produce collagen and acts as an antioxidant.  Yoga is a great method of finding a balance mentally, and physically.
Read more here about other benefits yoga has internally .

3. Better Breathing:
Great breathing is central to yoga. Techniques for increasing breathing capacity, regulating breathing patterns, and expanding the power of a breath are often focal points in many yoga routines.
This aspect of yoga is called pranayama, or  ‘control of the breath’. Not only does better breathing lead to a better physical health, but also mental health. The deep breaths we take in yoga helps reset our minds to a more calm, focused and sharp state.

4.  Creative Flow:
Get your creative juices flowing by releasing all the mental blocks.   Focusing intently on what your body is doing creates mental calmness.  By reducing stress hormones and creating inner mental peace, being creative comes naturally .

5. Increased strength and flexibility:
Great strength does not always go hand in hand with great flexibility, but yoga can improve both. The poses we make in yoga are meant to help us feel better inside and outside – reinforcing the muscles around our spine and the center of our body to improve posture. Consistently holding up your own body weight gives a strength that weight lifting quite doesn’t.  This strengthening also improves endurance as poses are held for longer periods of time. Yoga also improves our ease and range of motion that benefits athletes and helps to prevent injuries.

The benefits of yoga are numerous and can go on and on … from emotional and physical benefits to fighting disease and creating a sense of calm – regular yoga can do no wrong.

How has yoga helped you?

http://www.nursingdegree.net/blog/24/77-surprising-health-benefits-of-yoga/

http://in.reuters.com/article/2007/12/28/us-yoga-benefits-idINSAT87408420071228