Yoga is good for you.

The word yoga is derived from the Sanskrit word for ‘Yuji’. It means yoke (so connect to the head). Yoga is an ancient practice that was designed to bring the mind and body together. Practicing yoga can improve both mental and physical health in multiple ways. Waking up early in the morning to do yoga is the best. This is because it gives you a sense of calm positivity that will last for the rest of your day. Regular yoga practice will help you to live a calm and peaceful life.

Health benefits of yoga

Improves flexibility
Corrects posture
Lowers blood sugar
Burns fat
Increases metabolism
Stimulates muscles
Protects joints, ligaments and bones
Improves breathing
Gives a sense of relaxation
Better blood circulation
Higher energy levels
Reduces pain
Improves cardiovascular health
Better brain function
Greater sense of happiness

Yoga is great for the body and mind.

1. Yoga improves your flexibility and posture

It only takes a few minutes a day to benefit from the health-promoting effects of yoga. You will notice that your body becomes more strong, supple and flexible. Regular yoga will stretch and tone the muscles, joints, ligaments and bones. This will make them stronger. Yoga helps to improve your bodily posture when you stand, sit, sleep or walk. This will help to relieve body pain due from bad posture (which is one of the biggest contributors to muscle aches and pains).

Work on your posture.

2. Yoga lowers blood sugar

Yoga lowers blood glucose (blood sugar). It also lowers LDL or 'bad cholesterol'. The form of exercise boosts HDL or 'good cholesterol'. For people with diabetes, yoga has been found to lower blood sugar in several ways. One of the ways that it does this is by lowering cortisone adrenaline levels. This encourages healthy weight loss while improving your sensitivity to the effects of insulin. Yoga will get your blood sugar levels down and decrease your risk of diabetic complications such as heart attack, kidney failure and blindness (often caused by too much sugar in the blood of people who are diabetic).

Yoga improves heart health by lowering blood sugar, reducing bad cholesterol and improving good cholesterol.

A calm heart is a happy heart.

3. Weight loss

Yoga is an effective way to lose weight because it will boost your metabolism. It also stimulates your muscles and strengthens them. This causes your muscles to burn up more calories.

If you're going to do yoga for weight loss, I'd recommend that you also focus on eating whole, organic, natural food in place of processed food. This will help you to lose more weight. The less processed your food, the better.

4. Better breathing

Pranayama refers to the conscious control of your breath during yoga. Breathing control is incorporated into your movements during yoga. This is very good at reducing your internal (biological) stress levels. Cortisol (stress hormone) drops sharply during yoga for this reason.

Improved lung function and enhanced relaxation

The breathing practices in yoga focuses on the slowing down, and deepening, of your breath. This puts your body into a state of rest and recovery. Deep breaths help the lungs to work better.

5. Circulation

Yoga improves blood circulation through the combination of stretching, movement and breathing. Nutrients and oxygen moves easier throughout your body during yoga - and constantly if done regularly. This leads to healthier organs like the skin and the brain.

6. Energy

You will feel strangely calm yet energized at the same time after a yoga workout. Overall energy levels will increase and stressful situations won't drain you of the same amount of energy that it did before. A good yoga workout will energize you immediately.

Stress drains you of precious energy. Practice relaxation to boost energy levels.

Relaxation brings energy.

7. Yoga naturally reduces pain

This is one of the most attractive benefits of yoga. Yoga is, surprisingly, extremely effective at reducing the sensation of pain. People with arthritis, Fibromyalgia, migraines and other forms of chronic pain rely on yoga to make their conditions more bearable. Many people notice that back pain disappears completely because of yoga.

This happens for a variety of reasons. Improved posture deals with some bodily aches at their root cause. Stress is known to aggravate the sensation of pain, while relaxation dulls its effects. You interrupt the messages that communicate pain to the brain when you focus on deep breathing. A calmer state is more conducive to rest and recovery.

8. Cardiovascular conditioning

Just a few minutes of gentle yoga will improve your cardio-vascular health. Your heart rate will decrease while physical endurance increases. Oxygen uptake improves as nutrients are shuttled throughout the body more easily.

Just a few minutes of healthy activity is enough to give you long term benefits.

It only takes a few minutes.

9. Mental sharpness

Regular yoga will improve your memory and concentration. Some studies suggest that it can help to prevent (and even treat) mental illnesses like Alzheimer's disease. That's amazing! Simply doing yoga regularly will help to heal your brain and fortify it against future damage.

Yoga heals your brain and protects it from future damage.

Look after your brain.

10. Yoga will make you happier and healthier

A few minutes of yoga, at least three times a week, will boost your emotional health as much as it improves your physical and mental health. Your brain will be sharper, you will feel happier and your body will be healthier.