Yoga Benefits Both Mind And Body
April 21, 2009 by Tisha Tolar
Filed under Exercise
If you are looking for a new way to increase your fitness or add diversity to your exercise routine, you may want to 
consider yoga. Through body poses, controlled breathing and meditation this ancient practice strives to connect the mind, body and spirit. Yoga has recently grown in popularity in the western world. There are many physical and mental benefits to be gained by practicing yoga, a few of which we will touch on below.
Physical Benefits
• Circulation- Yoga practices can improve the health of your organs, skin and brain by improving blood circulation which is vital to the delivery of nutrients and oxygen throughout your body.
• Higher Pain Tolerance- People who practice yoga regularly tend to have a higher tolerance for pain. In some cases back pain or other chronic pain is lessened through yoga.
• Lowers Blood Pressure- Frequent yoga practice can lower your blood pressure by improving circulation and flow of oxygen throughout the body.
• Improved Posture- The practice of yoga and the poses associated with this practice teach participants how to hold and control their body. This results in better posture.
• Better Metabolism- Yoga has been linked to increased metabolism which helps control hunger and help practitioners maintain a healthy weight.
• Strength- Yoga can be a great method of strength training due to the fact that you are using your own body weight as resistance.
• Increased Flexibility- Yoga positions require use of muscles and joints that are often overlooked in traditional exercise. People often believe they are not flexible enough to practice yoga when in fact the practice itself promotes increased flexibility.
Mental Benefits
• Reduce Stress- Yoga requires concentration which makes it easier to let your day-to-day life go while practicing yoga. This can result in less stress overall for people who practice yoga.
• Positive Outlook- The combination of both physical and mental awareness increases the ability to view the world in a more positive light.
• Memory- When you combine improved circulation- bringing more blood to your brain, reduced stress and increased ability to focus, your memory will improve.
• Body-mind connection- The very nature of yoga promotes unity between body, mind and spirit. For this reason people who practice yoga feel a sense of calm and peace that other exercises do not achieve.
As you can see, the benefits of yoga can improve your life in many ways. Yoga appeals to many people who typically would not be interested in other forms of exercise because it does not discriminate between young and old or level of fitness. More importantly the practice of yoga strives to create balance in all areas of your life which most of us desperately need.
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