In a Life Full of Stress, the Practice of Yoga can be a Lifesaver.
Yoga has the potential to save the lives of millions of people. Yoga helps to balance and arrange the body by reducing excessive blood pressure and hazardous stress levels.
Yoga and variations on yoga have become popular exercise routines known for reducing stress while stretching and toning the body. Yoga reduces stress by working on several different levels – physical, of course, but also mental, emotional, and even spiritual – to calm the body and mind. The result is significant stress reduction and better overall health.
Yoga Works to Regain Physical Health
Yoga has a vital physical component, which contributes to its popularity as a workout. During yoga, participants practice certain poses which stretch the muscles and make joints more limber. Because most people find a good stretch soothing, yoga, which focuses on stretching everybody area, naturally incorporates physical relaxation.
On the other hand, yoga goes beyond simple stretching to extend and limber the body in unique ways. Many of the poses associated with yoga compress some part of the body, restricting blood flow to that area. When the posture is relaxed, fresh blood rushes to the deprived area to re-oxygenate it. The result of performing yoga is an extraordinary ability to process oxygen and, therefore, a more significant percentage of oxygen in the blood. It promotes overall health, helping with stress reduction.
Hot yoga, which is a variation on yoga, is yoga performed in a room that has been heated to over 90 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat helps muscles to stretch further and also causes more sweating. It has been suggested that sweating, along with the oxygenation process, helps eliminate – literally “sweat out” – impurities in the body, which further helps to reduce stress.
Yoga Works Mentally and Emotionally
An essential part of the yoga discipline focuses on calming meditation and mental and emotional discipline. With yoga comes the capacity to relax and, to a certain degree, regulate the mind. When this practice is applied to life outside the studio, it can help with stress reduction in daily life.
As mentioned before, regular yoga reduces stress physically by oxygenating the blood more efficiently and removing impurities from the bloodstream. This process also works on a mental and emotional level, since cleaner blood, which carries more oxygen, better nourishes the brain. The result is clearer thinking and reasoning, which reduces frustration and stress.
Yoga Works Spiritually
Many people who practice this ancient art of stretching, exercise and mental focus consider it a spiritual experience. Yoga began in India and is associated with various faiths, including Jainism, Buddhism, and Hinduism. In all of these religions, yoga is practiced achieving physical and mental discipline. Some believe that mastering yoga is a path to discovering a higher state of being, thus making it an intensely spiritual activity.
Participants, especially those who are disciples of a religion to which it relates, may find that the spiritual aspect of the activity reduces stress by allowing for meditation and self-discovery, mentally and physically.
The practice of yoga has gained prominence as a great way to relieve stress by practicing physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health.