| Yoga exercises and techniques have many benefits, | | | | Psychological benefits have been shown to include: |
| and practitioners often talk about the unification of | | | | Increased kinesthetic and somatic awareness |
| body, mind and spirit achieved through yoga. The belief | | | | Improved social skills |
| that the mind and body are a unified structure is | | | | Higher self-acceptance and self-actualization |
| fundamental to yoga, and leads on to the belief that | | | | Improved concentration, attention and memory |
| when the body is in harmony, healing can be achieved. | | | | Heightened sense of well being |
| These principles, and the many positive results | | | | Better moods |
| obtained by yoga enthusiasts over the years, has led | | | | When to comes to the biochemical benefits, there are |
| many doctors to believe that yoga has therapeutic | | | | instances of substantial decreases in: |
| results. Some even recommend it to help cure various | | | | Glucose |
| illnesses, particularly those related to the nervous | | | | Sodium |
| system. | | | | Cholesteroland increases in: |
| Many new age therapies have sprung up in recent | | | | Total serum protein |
| years, but yoga is not one of them. Yoga has been | | | | Vitamin C |
| practiced for thousands of years, and in that time | | | | Hemoglobin |
| countless numbers of people have benefited from the | | | | Yoga has also been shown to be highly effective for |
| positive results. A great deal of research has been | | | | musco-skeletal issues, including improved joint flexibility, |
| done into the benefits that can be gained from yoga if | | | | and better lubrication of joints, tendons and ligaments. |
| it's practiced for an extended period. The benefits of | | | | Another demonstrated effect of yoga is that benefits |
| yoga have been classified into three main categories, | | | | are gained from the apparent massaging of all the |
| which are: physiological, psychological and biochemical. | | | | internal organs and glands that occurs during yoga. |
| Yoga practitioners have regularly observed | | | | Some of these would normally never be stimulated, for |
| improvements in all three areas. | | | | example, the prostate. This massaging and stimulation |
| On the physiological level, practicing yoga for a | | | | has proven to be beneficial in preventing the onset of |
| prolonged period can assist with: | | | | disease in these organs. |
| Decreasing pulse rate | | | | An overall benefit of yoga is the complete |
| Improving respiratory and blood pressure dysfunctions | | | | detoxification that occurs when these efficient ancient |
| Normalizing endocrine and gastrointestinal function | | | | techniques are used for a prolonged period. Yoga |
| Stabilizing and maintaining the equilibrium of the nervous | | | | exercises stretch the muscles and thoroughly |
| system | | | | massage the body, ensuring you establish an optimum |
| Increasing endurance | | | | quantity of blood supply. This eliminates toxins from the |
| Increasing joint movement | | | | body, which helps to slow or even stop certain |
| Improved energy levels | | | | undesired processes, including aging. |
| Increasing cardiovascular efficiency | | | | All these physical benefits are a wonderful result when |
| Improved immunity to illness | | | | practicing yoga, but there's one overriding benefit that |
| Improved eye-hand coordination | | | | is the main reason people continue practicing yoga for |
| Greater dexterity | | | | years - the harmony and synchronization of body and |
| Better sleep | | | | mind, coupled with the strengthening of your emotional |
| Improved depth perception | | | | and meditation systems. |
| Better reaction times | | | | |