Practitioners of yoga talk about a unification of the body, mind
and spirit acquired through practicing the yoga exercises and
techniques.
One of the fundamental beliefs that yoga practitioners share is
that the mind and body are a unified structure. This structure
can find its harmony and it can heal itself when given a proper
environment. Many doctors
recommend yoga for helping a wide variety of health
conditions.
Yoga is not a recent philosophy and has been practiced for
thousands of years. Studies have been done in order to establish
the areas in which people can obtain health benefits by an
extended practice. The information obtained suggests that yoga
may impart improvements in physiological, psychological, and
biochemical health.
>From the physiological point of view, prolonged yoga practices
can help pulse rate, respiratory and blood pressure dysfunction,
contribute to stabilizing the nervous system, normalize
gastrointestinal functions, normalize endocrine function,
increase joint range of motion, increase endurance, enhance
energy levels, increase immunity to diseases, improve
cardiovascular efficiency, improve eye-hand coordination,
reaction time, dexterity skills, depth perception, sleep, and
more.
The studies of psychological benefits suggest that yoga can
contribute to enhancing somatic and kinesthetic awareness,
self-acceptance and self-actualization, social skills,
well-being, as well as improving concentration, memory,
attention, mood, learning efficiency, symbol coding, etc.
As for the biochemical benefits of yoga, there have been reports
of decreases in glucose, sodium, cholesterol, total white blood
cell counts and increases of vitamin C, total serum protein, and
hemoglobin. Studies have also revealed that yoga exercises are
effective at increasing joint flexibility and lubrication of
joints, ligaments and tendons. Another interesting aspect has to
do with the fact that yoga is one of the very few techniques
which contributes to massaging all the internal organs and
glands. This includes the glands that are hardly ever stimulated
in this way, such as the prostate. The stimulation and massaging
of the internal organs proves to be beneficial when it comes to
preventing disease.
These ancient and efficient techniques ease the detoxification
of the body. While stretching the muscles and performing a
thorough massage, yoga ensures the optimum movement of blood and
fluids that your body needs. Consequently, toxins are eliminated
from your body and certain undesired processes, such as aging,
can be delayed.
All the benefits presented above come in addition to the most
important aspects provided by yoga practices; the harmony and
synchronization between body and mind, strengthening your
meditation and balancing your emotions.
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