Happy International Yoga Day: Benefits of Yoga, Why You Should Start Today!

Yoga has been trending for quite some time now. Although it has existed for centuries, people are starting to realize its importance as time passes. An essential part of Hinduism, Yoga practice began during the Indus-Saraswati civilization in Northern India over 5,000 years ago. The word Yoga was first mentioned in Rig Veda, one of the oldest sacred texts. So, Around 1-5th century CE the Hindu sage Pantanjali began to write these ancient meditative traditions, he then recorded all the techniques which were as old as the Indian civilization itself. All of these were practiced in various parts of India. These texts were called yoga sutra. 

Sometime in the 19th-20th, yoga gained prominence in the western parts of the world as Swami Vivekananda introduced it. Over time, there have been variations in terms of techniques and ways. Still, the core idea is to blend physical, mental, and spiritual self. 

Major Benefits of Yoga

      1. It helps to enhance your fitness.

Practicing yoga can help you to build and improve muscle strength as well as endurance, and also helps in improving cardio-respiratory fitness. Try out the tree pose or warrior pose today!

2. New and Improved Flexibility- Check!

Yoga will surely improve your body’s flexibility drastically. The movements in Yoga and the stretching they require are going to enhance your flexibility. The more you invest in it, the more flexible your body gets. Most of us have jobs that don’t require a lot of movement, so muscles tend to get stiff, by practicing Yoga on a daily basis you can make your body more flexible. 

3. Helps in Losing Weight

During the research, it was found that people who practiced Yoga for a minimum of 30 minutes once a week for four years tend to gain less weight during mid-adulthood—Furthermore, people who were overweight lost weight because they practiced Yoga. People who practice yoga tend to have lower body mass indexes (BMIs) compared with those who don’t. It could be due to the increase of mindfulness thanks to Yoga.

4. Reduces Stress And Brings Mental Peace

Since Yoga asana/ poses are intensely physical, they require you to concentrate on what your body is doing, which helps in bringing calmness to your mind. Some of the yoga poses are highly meditative and focus on deep breathing. These poses can help you to not engage with your thoughts; they can also help in improving sleep quality and cycle as well as decrease anxiety. Yoga helps in developing coping skills and a positive outlook on life. Yoga has the potential to put your mind and life peaceful.

Start Today!