A healthy, strong, resilient, disciplined person who can control his mind and feelings can achieve his goals and fulfill his potential. A tool for developing yourself and your body is regular yoga practice.
Hatha Yoga Andrey Verba
Yoga is translated from Sanskrit as ‘harmony’, ‘unity’ and ‘connection’. Yoga is not just physical activity or morning exercise. This is the path by following which you can achieve a harmonious, conscious and healthy life. Yoga, unlike fitness, involves the practice of asanas (postures), pranayamas (breathing), meditation, as well as mudras, bandhas, shatkarmas, and mantras.
Yoga affects the body, mind, spirit, energy and the ability to control feelings. The practice is good for your health and helps you live in harmony with yourself and the world around you. There are many reasons for practicing, and everyone chooses his own one.
Impact on the physical body
Yoga is a unique system of integrated approach to the whole human body. It affects the nervous, digestive, excretory, sexual, musculoskeletal and respiratory systems. With regular practice, strength, stamina, flexibility, and the ability to breathe properly are achieved; one gains a healthy body to master the mind 2. Yoga improves adrenal function in men 7.
What yoga gives women:
- flexibility and plasticity,
- improved skin condition,
- relief from hormonal disorders.
What yoga gives men:
- improved blood circulation,
- joint strengthening,
- relaxation,
- normalization of blood circulation in the pelvic area,
- prostatitis prevention 8.
Effect of yoga on posture
Systematic practice allows you to build a strong muscular corset and easily maintain a beautiful straight posture throughout the day. Yoga is useful for developing mobility and flexibility of the spine. It helps to establish blood supply and functionality of the spinal column, which is very important for modern man, who spends most of the time in a sedentary position 6.
Yoga for women
Improved sleep
The gentle calm practice of yoga, Shavasana, pranayamas and meditation help a person shift his attention inward, reduce the impact of stressful situations on his life and improve the quality of sleep. Already after the first classes, you can notice how the time required to fall asleep is significantly reduced, the number of hours of sleep increases, and a feeling of vigor and energy appears in the morning.
Sleep disorders are often suffered by elderly people. There have been many studies proving that after yoga the participants of the experiments fall asleep without problems, and when they wake up they feel more focused and awake 3.
General toning and immunity boosting
Dr. Tiffany Field, who holds the position of director at the University of Miami, compiled a review on the positive effects of yoga on the human condition and noted that yoga affects autoimmune and immune system diseases [[3][5]].
By improving the overall tone of the entire body, yoga strengthens the natural and acquired immune system. Regular asana practice stimulates the organs of the immune system and creates conditions for improved blood circulation through them, allowing these organs to produce enough white blood cells and keep the body healthy. Yoga eliminates immune system disorders and strengthens the immune system 1.
Calming the mind
Relaxation of the mind is achieved while performing asanas. In asana our mind encompasses the whole body, dissolving into every cell and forming a total field of awareness. The practice reduces stress and allows you to achieve deep relaxation and calmness, as well as focus and concentration 1. Yoga has a positive effect on women with high anxiety and psychological trauma. Through practicing, anxiety levels are reduced and post-traumatic stress disorder goes away completely 3.
Improving memory and brain function
Yoga affects a person in the same way that aerobic exercise does — develops the areas of the brain that are responsible for planning, decision-making, evaluation, choosing options and learning. There is an increase in the volume of the hippocampus, which is involved in memory processing and usually shrinks with age, causing the development of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Many asanas and techniques are prevention of these diseases and additional help in treatment 4.
Meditation in group
Our body is a unique mechanism that is capable of many things, but at the same time it is very fragile and can easily malfunction. Yoga is a tool for working with the body and mind. It can both help and revitalize, and harm if used incorrectly. Beginning practitioners should consult a physician and practice with a competent instructor who will make the necessary recommendations, taking into account the peculiarities of the student, and explain the fundamental rules of injury safety.
At each session you should choose the level of load yourself depending on your state of health and well-being at the moment. Do not exert too much force, avoid pain and serious injury. Take the time to master difficult asanas and go into deep positions. By practicing slowly, gradually, carefully and regularly, one can make great strides in practice.
Contraindications to yoga practice:
- pregnancy,
- acute inflammatory diseases,
- oncological diseases,
- cardiovascular disease,
- blood diseases.
Daily effort on the mat and proper, moderate exercise strengthens the body, spirit and will. Life becomes better and more harmonious.
By changing ourselves, we change the world.