How Does Yoga Improve Health?
A Better Body Image: Yoga develops better awareness of oneself. It helps you to focus on your body’s abilities at the present moment. It helps in developing better breathing and strengthens the mind and body. If you might have noticed usually yoga centres and studios don’t have mirrors. This is to help you focus more on yourself and your body and let go of other distractions. Yoga has become an intergral part of body positivity, body image programs and treatment of eating disorders.
Helps in Weight Loss and Maintenance: people who practice yoga are mindful eaters and are more aware of their bodies. They may be more sensitive to hunger and feeling of fullness. Researchers have found that those who practiced yoga for atleast 30 minutes a week for atleast 4 years gained less weight during adulthood, lost weight and had lower BMI compared to those who did not practice yoga. This is attributed to mindfulness which can lead to a more positive relationship with food and eating.
Increasing Fitness: It can impact a person’s exercise capacity, as yoga can soothe tension and anxiety in the mind and body. Practising yoga for a long time can improve your fitness and make you fit. It also increases the dopamine and serotonin harmone production thus making you feel happy and fine.
Increase In Cardiovascular Benefits: Several small studies have found that yoga has a positive effect on cardiovascular diseases and have considerably improved lipid profiles in healthy patients as well as patients with coronary artery disease. It has lowered excessive blood sugar levels in people with non- insulin diabetes thereby lowering their medication. It is also believed to lower stress levels in people.
Mindful Eater: Mindfulness refers to becoming aware of all the positive chances available through proper food selection and being aware of your inner mind. It is through using all your senses in choosing to eat food that is both satisfying to you and nourishing to your body. Yoga has proven to increase mindfulness not just while eating but in other areas of a person’s life too.
Practicing yoga can make you feel more aware of your body and self. This increase in awareness can be helpful over mealtime where you can sense all the tastes to your tongue. Each time you bite or sip, you can feel it to your mouth.
