12 Yoga Benefits That Will Make You a Fan of This Philosophy

More than a sport or modality, yoga is a way of being in life, a philosophy of health and well-being.

If you are an active practitioner, you have already noticed some benefits of yoga in various areas of your life, both physically and mentally.

Interested in finding out more?

Stay tuned!

The 12 major benefits of yoga

1. Helps to decrease stress

Yoga is known to help relieve stress and promote a feeling of relaxation. Therefore, practicing it regularly allows you to change your life almost completely, reaching levels of relaxation like you never felt before. 

2. Decreases anxiety

Many people say that practicing yoga also helps to deal with feelings of anxiety. There are, in fact, several studies that prove it, although it is not possible to understand exactly why this happens.

However, what you should keep in mind is the importance of being present in the moment and finding a sense of peace, which can help to deal with anxiety.

3. Reduces the inflammatory process

In addition to improving mental health, some studies suggest that one of the benefits of yoga is to reduce inflammation, which is a normal immune response.

However, when this happens continuously and repeatedly, it can contribute to the development of other more serious health problems.

4. Improves heart health

High blood pressure is a major cause of heart problems, such as heart attacks and strokes, so lowering blood pressure can help reduce the risk of these problems - yoga can help provide feelings of relaxation that are reflected in the health of the heart.

5. Increase strength

In addition to improving flexibility, yoga is also a great addition to an exercise routine as it helps losing body fat and gain muscle.

As such, there are specific poses in yoga that are designed to increase strength, endurance and, build muscle.

6. Improves flexibility and balance

Many people add yoga to their exercise routine to improve flexibility and balance. Due to the movements that are inherent to it, this philosophy and way of being in life are highly beneficial to make the body more free and loose.

7. Helps improve breathing

Pranayama is a yoga practice that focuses on controlling breathing through specific exercises and techniques to accomplish this goal.

This can be especially important for people with lung disease, heart problems, and even asthma.

8. Can relieve migraines

Migraines are severe recurring headaches for no apparent reason and can be highly disabling when they occur.

Traditionally, its treatment involves taking medications. However, yoga can help prevent this from happening. 

9. It helps with depression

Yoga practice can have an antidepressant effect and help lessen the symptoms of depression. This is because yoga can decrease the cortisol levels, a hormone associated with the onset of stress and which influences serotonin levels.

By saying this, we are not saying that the cure for depression is yoga. However, this method can be considered throughout the treatment line, with all the benefits that it has, especially at the mental level.

10. Can help reduce chronic pain

Chronic pain is a persistent problem that affects millions of people around the world and has high repercussions on personal and professional life. What causes them varies, but what is certain is that finding mechanisms to contract or avoid pain is something that everyone wants.

As such, practicing yoga can help reduce many types of chronic pain, due to muscle stretching and the sense of relaxation it provides.

11. Promotes quality sleep

Poor sleep quality has been associated with the appearance of several serious health problems, such as obesity, high blood pressure, and depression, among other disorders.

This happens because yoga increases the secretion of melatonin, a hormone that acts at the level of sleep regulation.

12. Provides better quality of life

Gathering all the benefits mentioned above, we can see they all have one thing in common. To provide you with better life quality. 

Whether physical or otherwise, the benefits of yoga help you feel better day after day. Give it a try!