If you think yoga is another name for “Spine Twister” or you would currently consider your Happy Place to be “Fast Asleep” then prepare to have your mind BLOWN!
Yoga History
Developed in Northern India over 5000 years ago, Yoga aimed to achieve harmony between heart and soul on the path to divine enlightenment, combining breath and movement, bringing strength, stability and grace to mind and body. Yoga is practiced widely today, and over time has divided into many different practices, some of the most well known being Hatha Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga, Bikram Yoga and Kundalini Yoga. Yoga has offered relief to those suffering with long-term diseases and conditions as well as alleviating physical injuries and chronic pains. Whether you are looking to increase flexibility, strengthen your body, or recover from an injury, yoga can benefit everyone.
What are the benefits of yoga?
Yoga improves flexibility, loosening muscles to relieve aches and pains in the legs, hips and back. Muscles not only become flexible but stronger too. Posture is improved, preventing back, neck, muscles and joint pain. Taking joints through a full range of yoga postures means degenerative arthritis and other disabilities are prevented. This occurs due to the squeezing out and soaking up of nutrients in the joint cartilage, stopping them from wearing out. Regular yoga also keeps Spinal disks supple and in good working order.
Staying younger with Yoga
Yoga can strengthen bones and lowers levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which may keep calcium in the bone. Blood flow is increased and circulation is improved, transporting more oxygen to your cells. Yoga also can have the ability to thin the blood, reducing the risk of heart attack and strokes. Regular practice has also been proven to dramatically reduce high blood pressure. The contracting and stretching of muscles during practice increases the drainage of lymph, a fluid rich in immune cells, helping the lymphatic system fight infection and destroy cancerous cells. Yoga lowers the resting heart rate, increases endurance and improves oxygen uptake. Pretty impressive huh?
Yoga for Mental Health and Wellbeing
Other benefits include the relief of:
Stress
Tension
Insomnia
Anxiety
Additional benefits of Yoga:
Improvement of mental focus and clarity
Lowering of blood sugar
Boosting of immune functionality
Increase in lung capacity
Prevention of digestive issues.
Additionally simply knowing that you are becoming healthier in mind, body and spirit can bring a holistic sense of overall wellbeing to your life. So when do we start?!
The future of Yoga – Sport Performance
So if you thought yoga was too easy? Not challenging enough? Or simply ‘style over substance’ then think again.
Amongst other things, Yoga can be a great tool for improving sports performance. Interested? Then ‘namaste’ right there, as we will have a blog on that very subject coming up very soon.
Kaizen Centre Birmingham Yoga
The Kaizen Centre Yoga programme is currently combines Dynamic Yoga https://www.kaizencentre.co.uk/activities/dynamic-yoga/ and Ashtanga Flow Yoga https://www.kaizencentre.co.uk/activities/ashtanga-flow-yoga/
Get in touch of you would like to visit and try a class.
DC