Yoga has been an integral part of Indian culture. The word ‘yoga’ literally translates to ‘unity’ of the mind, body, and soul. But what are the benefits of yoga we can enjoy when we implement it in our daily lives?
With International Yoga Day on the horizon, here’s a look at some of the advantages of yoga that we can benefit from if we implement it into our lifestyle.
1. Improving focus and concentration
To many, yoga and meditation are the tools required to train what we call our ‘monkey mind.’ As described by the monkey metaphor, the mind can easily get distracted at the slightest external provocation.
However, distractions take up a lot of our time, build lethargy, and diminish motivation. With the regular practice of yoga, you can eliminate all of this with time.
If you feel that you need to work on improving your focus and concentration, here are a few poses you can try.
• Ustrasana or the Camel Pose
• Setu Bandhasana or the Bridge Pose
• Vrikshasana or the Tree Pose
Learning these poses and how to do them right will help improve your focus and concentration significantly with regular practice.
2. Achieving weight loss goals
One of the primary benefits of yoga is that it allows you to lose weight when added to your training regimen.
Many who suffer from obesity find it impacting their physical health and mental confidence. However, one can include yoga into their training regimen and achieve their weight loss goals faster, improving their health holistically.
Here’s a list of three poses that allow you to enjoy the benefits of yoga for weight loss:
• Kumbhakasana or The Plank Pose
• Bhujangasana or The Cobra Pose
• Dhanurasana or The Bow Pose
You can easily find the directions for the poses on the internet and even watch video tutorials on YouTube to make sure you perform correctly.
3. Increasing overall energy
With the recurring lockdowns in the past year, feeling the lack of energy throughout the day is not uncommon. While sipping on a cup of coffee twice a day is acceptable, one should not increase their dependence on caffeine to feel energetic.
But don’t worry! Increasing your overall energy is one of the many benefits of yoga you can enjoy with regular implementation. Here are three poses that help you achieve that goal:
• Sukhasana or The Easy Pose
• Urdhva Hastasana or The Upward Salute Pose
• Anjanaeyasana or The Low Lunge Pose
Include these three poses in your fitness and yoga regime, and feel more energized every day!
4. Improves strength
Today, working out at home has become part of the norm, with restrictions on gyms in many cities. So, if you are looking to shuffle your strength training a little, you could try yoga to give yourself something new to work with at home.
One of the main benefits of yoga is slow breathing and controlled movements that increase blood flow to the body and strengthen your muscles. Some of the yoga poses you can try to increase your strength are:
• Chaturanga Dandasana or The Four-Legged Staff Pose
• Navasana or Boat Pose
• Ardha Chandrasana or Half Moon Pose
These three poses will help strengthen your upper body, abdominals, and lower body, respectively.
5. Relieves back pain
Most people working from home or having a desk job are often plagued by constant pain in the back. If not addressed early, it can aggravate later and even lead to spondylitis and other spinal issues.
However, yoga canrelieve back pain and is one the reasons why even doctors widely prescribe it. Here’s a few yoga poses that can help relieve your back pain:
• Chakravakasana or The Cat-Cow Pose
• Adho Mukha Svanasana or The Downward Dog Pose
• Salamba Bhujangasana or The Sphinx Pose
So, no matter what your problem, yoga has an answer with which you can correct it. These are five benefits of yoga that are integrally linked to our daily well-being and will help us stay fitter and healthier in the long run.