Did you know that yoga dates back thousands of years? It was developed 5,000 years ago by the Indus-Sarasvati civilization in Northern India.
Fast forward to today, and there are many types of yoga, including power yoga, restorative yoga, and aerial yoga, all of which are growing in popularity. According to one survey, one in every seven adults in the U.S. has practiced yoga in the past year.
What Are the Benefits of Doing Yoga?
What are the benefits of doing yoga? Want to know? If so, you’re on the right page. We’ll be going over everything that you need to know below.
Keep reading to learn more!
It Can Lower Stress
Yoga can help reduce stress and promote relaxation. It does this by decreasing the secretion of cortisol, a steroid hormone that plays a role in the body’s stress response.
One study supported 24 women; those who practiced yoga for three months were shown to have significantly lower cortisol levels and stress.
Aside from decreasing cortisol, it can also help you become more aware of your breath. Changing its rhythm will slow down your heart rate; it’ll also stimulate the vagus nerve, part of the parasympathetic nervous system. In other words, it’ll allow you to calm down.
It Can Reduce the Risk of Heart Disease
Yoga benefits the heart. More specifically, it can reduce your risk of heart disease by lowering your blood pressure and cholesterol.
Not only that, but it can also improve your circulation and blood flow. That way, the muscles—including the heart—would receive more oxygen, allowing it to function more efficiently.
There’s also evidence that it can soothe an irregular heartbeat. In fact, one study has shown that yoga classes twice a week can reduce the frequency of atrial fibrillation, a condition marked by an irregular heart rhythm.
It Can Help Those With Substance Abuse or Addictions
Recovery through yoga is possible. In fact, it’s often used in conjunction with other treatments to help those with substance use disorders.
That is, it’ll ease your mind and let you focus on what you’re being subjected to at the moment. In doing so, your self-awareness will improve, allowing you to proceed with your recovery process.
In addition to that, it can help individuals deal with mental health disorders, which often co-occur with substance abuse. For example, it can benefit those with post-traumatic stress disorder or depression—this is important as they’re at a higher risk of using drugs.
What Are the Benefits of Doing Yoga – Explained
Now you can answer the question, “what are the benefits of doing yoga.” As you can see, it can help you stay healthy in more than one way. Given that, there’s no reason not to incorporate it into your schedule!
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