Benefits of Yoga
Long-term yoga practitioners may notice the many health benefits of doing yoga. From fewer colds to a happier mindset, yoga can remake your physical and mental health. While yoga was primarily practiced in India for millenia, it has developed a following in western societies. Researchers now know that yoga as well as the best hypnosis sessions can help to reduce pain, improve healing and keep illnesses away.
Boost Your Blood Flow
Yoga is designed to increase your circulation. It helps your blood transport oxygen to places like your hands and feet. While inverted poses like the headstand help to push venous blood back into the heart, twisting poses help to move blood into the internal organs. In addition, yoga increase hemoglobin and red blood cell levels. Even after you are done practicing yoga for the day, these health benefits ensure that you have increased blood flow and oxygen to all of your body’s tissues.
Improves Your Mood
A research study at the University of Wisconsin recently showed that the left prefrontal cortex is increasingly activated for meditators. Yoga is also linked to lower depression rates and higher levels of serotonin. Additionally, the prefontal cortex has a correlation to a better immune system and improved happiness.
Diabetes Reduction
Diabetes leads to nerve damage over the long term. This can cause poor bowel function, problems with sensation and numbness. In a study at the Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital in India, diabetic patients were told to do yoga for 40 days. At the end of the study, yoga was shown to increase nerve impulses in the hands and feet. In the control group, nerve function deteriorated over the 40 days.
Beyond improving nerve function, yoga asanas can help to manage insulin levels. Fasting blood sugar levels drop among diabetic individuals who use yoga, and the same studies also showed a boost in pulmonary function. For these results to be achieved, it only took 40 minutes of yoga for 40 days.
Improved Focus
Regularly practicing yoga can improve your focus, reaction time and coordination. Studies show that it can even boost IQ scores and memory. Individuals who regularly use Transcendental meditation also show the ability to recall things better and solve problems faster. This is most likely because they are not as distracted by their thoughts and can choose consciously what to focus on.
Heart Disease
High blood pressure and cholesterol can cause heart disease, but yoga can reverse these symptoms. In addition to lowering a resting heart rate, yoga can drop the blood pressure and lower cholesterol. Through these benefits, it is able to slow down atherosclerosis and heart disease. Researchers also believe that the meditative aspect of yoga can help to prevent the lining of the blood vessels from becoming irritated and inflamed.
Pain and Sleep
Through interactions with your nervous system and mind, you can ease your pain levels through yoga. This is shown to be effective for people with back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome and fibromyalgia. Giving your nervous system additional down time helps to ensure easier and deeper sleep.
Many of the benefits of yoga are due to the meditative aspect of this practice. In essence, yoga is a physical and mental way to induce self-hypnosis. As both yoga and hypnosis research shows, the pain response, concentration abilities, mood and heart health benefits of hypnosis as well as yoga can be exceptional.