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Health
Benefits of Yoga
by
Dr. Tara Barker ND
Practitioners of yoga talk about a unification of
the body, mind and spirit acquired through practicing
the yoga exercises and techniques.
One of the fundamental beliefs that yoga practitioners
share is that the mind and body are a unified structure.
This structure can find its harmony and it can heal
itself when given a proper environment. Many doctors
recommend yoga for helping a wide variety of health
conditions.
Yoga
is not a recent philosophy and has been practiced
for thousands of years. Studies have been done in
order to establish the areas in which people can obtain
health benefits by an extended practice. The information
obtained suggests that yoga may impart improvements
in physiological, psychological, and biochemical health.
From the physiological point of view, prolonged yoga
practices can help pulse rate, respiratory and blood
pressure dysfunction, contribute to stabilizing the
nervous system, normalize gastrointestinal functions,
normalize endocrine function, increase joint range
of motion, increase endurance, enhance energy levels,
increase immunity to diseases, improve cardiovascular
efficiency, improve eye-hand coordination, reaction
time, dexterity skills, depth perception, sleep, and
more.
The
studies of psychological benefits suggest that yoga
can contribute to enhancing somatic and kinesthetic
awareness, self-acceptance and self-actualization,
social skills, well-being, as well as improving concentration,
memory, attention, mood, learning efficiency, symbol
coding, etc.
As
for the biochemical benefits of yoga, there have been
reports of decreases in glucose, sodium, cholesterol,
total white blood cell counts and increases of vitamin
C, total serum protein, and hemoglobin. Studies have
also revealed that yoga exercises are effective at
increasing joint flexibility and lubrication of joints,
ligaments and tendons. Another interesting aspect
has to do with the fact that yoga is one of the very
few techniques which contributes to massaging all
the internal organs and glands. This includes the
glands that are hardly ever stimulated in this way,
such as the prostate. The stimulation and massaging
of the internal organs proves to be beneficial when
it comes to preventing disease.
These
ancient and efficient techniques ease the detoxification
of the body. While stretching the muscles and performing
a thorough massage, yoga ensures the optimum movement
of blood and fluids that your body needs. Consequently,
toxins are eliminated from your body and certain undesired
processes, such as aging, can be delayed.
All
the benefits presented above come in addition to the
most important aspects provided by yoga practices;
the harmony and synchronization between body and mind,
strengthening your meditation and balancing your emotions.
About
the Author
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