Benefits of Yoga

The Benefits of Yoga

Lose Weight: One of the leading reasons people often have a hard time losing weight is due to the stress hormone, cortisol. Cortisol causes the body to store fat, especially around the belly. Yoga reduces stress, thereby reducing cortisol and helping you lose weight - permanently! Yoga also helps balance the hormones and reduces food and alcohol cravings.

Build, Tone and Lengthen Muscles: Yoga builds long, lean muscles, creating a firmer, stronger and more defined body. Since the heart has to work harder to move blood through the newly developed muscle tissue, building muscle helps increase your metabolism, which allows you to burn more calories, even when at rest! Unlike other forms of exercise, yoga doesn't just work one part of the body at a time or create bulky muscles. Yoga works the entire body by using resistance from your own body weight, resulting in a strong, toned and flexible body from head to toe!

Relieve Lower Back Pain:
Tight hamstrings, hip flexors and shortened connective tissues pull the pelvis out of alignment, putting undue stress on the low back. By stretching muscles and connective tissues and strengthening muscles, yoga can greatly improve and even completely eliminate lower back pain.

Reduce Stress, Depression and Anxiety:
Life in our society can be stressful on just about every level. Besides causing emotional and mental imbalances, stress can build up in our muscles and other body tissues, causing tightness, discomfort and even chronic problems. The physical postures, breathing exercises and meditation techniques of yoga can help rid the body of toxins, lower stress levels and quiet the anxious mind, leading to improved health and a greater sense of well-being.

Increase the Range Of Motion In Hips, Shoulders and Joints:
Ever heard the old saying "use it or lose it?" It's true! Over time our muscles, tendons and ligaments can shrink to fit our most frequently used body positions. Chronically slumping over computers as well as sitting on soft sofas and chairs can eventually limit our range of motion. Yoga is a full-body workout that takes your entire body through it's full range of motion, opening up tight areas while stretching and lubricating the joints.

Increase Your Energy Level: By practicing physical poses that strengthen and stretch the body; breathing techniques that help oxygenate the blood and meditation practices that center and calm the mind, you will feel more balanced, rejuvenated and more alive! Yoga also helps improve sleep, which will do wonders for your energy.

Fight Osteoporosis: Yoga isn't just a bunch of gentle stretching. Many of the physical postures are weight-bearing, helping to increase muscle mass and prevent bone loss.

Yoga also: