Health

Yoga is the art of body work that originated in India and is famous throughout the world where not only can cure the disease, Yoga is also a powerful way to provide peace of mind due to stress or psychological imbalance.

And, yoga is also one of the alternative exercise option that has many benefits so that more people attend yoga classes. Benefits of yoga for the body include:

1. More flexible. This is the most directly felt. Maybe in the beginning of the exercise, you are unable to able to touch your toes while doing backbend movement. However, if you keep practicing, the body will slowly start to feel more flexible and you can finally touch your toes. You'll also find your pain and stiffness disappeared.

3. Improve posture. Did you know if our head is like a big and heavy bowling ball? It needs a  a balance to the spine and back muscles to support. It is not impossible if you feel tired. The problem is in poor posture. Yoga can improve posture and prevent aches, fatigue, arthritis, and also because of poor posture.

4. Protect joints from rheumatism and arthritis. Every time you are doing yoga, you train your joints move in full range. This means you prevent degenerative arthritis by "squeezing and soaking" areas of cartilage that is rarely used. Cartilage like sponges that absorb nutrients only when fluid is expelled.

5. Protect the spine. The spine as the rear shock absorber between bones also need to be trained. If we regularly practicing backbend, forward bend, and twist, you keep your joints become more flexible spine.

6. Prevent osteoporosis. Many studies shown weight-bearing exercise strengthens bones and osteoporosis dispel. Many yoga postures require you to lift your own body weight. Yoga is also good in increasing spine density.

7. Blood circulation. Yoga trains you to relax. Relaxation exercises help the blood circulation, especially in the hands and feet. Yoga also helps oxygen to enter the cell. Pose a good twist to bring blood to the organs in and exhel it out after the pose is complete.

Headstand, handstand, and shoulderstand help bring blood from the legs and pelvis to the heart and from there pumped to the lungs, so it gets fresh oxygen. Yoga also increases levels of hemoglobin and red blood cells that carries oxygen to tissues.

8. Protect the heart. Aerobic exercise is great for protecting the heart. Although it is not included as aerobic, yoga can increase your heart rate to aerobic levels. A study found that yoga practice lowers resting heart rate, increase stamina, and improve maximum oxygen intake during sport. This value is the same with aerobic exercise.

9. Lowering blood pressure. You should try yoga if you suffer from hypertension. Two studies of hypertension from the British medical journal The Lancet, compared the effects of savasana pose with just lying on the couch. After three months of savasana, the systolic blood pressure lower than 26 points and 15 points in diastolic pressure.

10. Maintain the memory. Yoga lowers level of hormone cortisol. Normally, the adrenal glands release cortisol in response to a state of acute crisis which then temporarily promote immune function. If cortisol levels remain high after the crisis passed, it can undermine immunity. Temporary increase in cortisol is helpful long-term memory.

However, if it is done continuously, high cortisol interfere with memory and cause permanent changes in the brain. Excess cortisol is associated with depression, osteoporosis, high blood pressure, and insulin resistance.

11. Bring happiness. Research shows that the consistent practice of yoga to improve depression, increase serotonin levels, and lower cortisol. Richard Davidson of the University of Wisconsin, USA, found that the left prefrontal cortex seen rising in people who meditate.

The discovery that correlate higher levels of happiness and immune function better. Higher levels found in yoga lovers who have many years of practice.

12. Lose weight. Do not be lazy to move and do not be greedy. That is actually the principle of maintaining a healthy weight. Yoga can help us do the two principles. Yoga helps you move and burn calories. Spiritual and emotional side of yoga encourage you to look at eating and weight problems more deeply. Maybe yoga will inspire you to become a more conscious while eating.

13. Lowering blood sugar and bad cholesterol. Yoga lowers blood sugar and bad cholesterol, while raising good cholesterol. In diabetes, yoga helps control blood sugar by lowering cortisol and adrenaline levels, lose weight, and improve sensitivity to insulin.

14. Improve intelligence. One important component of yoga is to focus on the present circumstances. A study found that regular yoga exercises can improve coordination, reaction, memory, and even IQ scores. People who practice transcendental meditation are able to solve problems, process information better because it is able to concentrate, and other problems not easily distracted. So, let's doing Yoga!