WHAT IS YOGA?
According to Sherwin, the word "yoga," which is derived from Sanskrit, which is acknowledged as the language of yoga, means "union" in its literal sense. proper up arrow And she claims that's a fitting way to characterize yoga as we do it now. "We define it as the use of the breath to bring the mind and the body together."
According to Sherwin, many individuals are now aware of the physical advantages of yoga and view it as a form of exercise. Yoga, however, is much more than that. The postures are just one aspect of it; it's truly an entire way of life, she claims.
According to Sherwin, yoga has been practiced for nearly 5,000 years and originated in India. She claims that at first, only men from the highest caste were trained one-on-one.
Yoga has historically been used as a system to promote health on all levels—physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Proper up arrow Nowadays, yoga is not viewed as a system of religious ideas. According to the Yoga Alliance, it can be done in a wholly secular way and is practiced by people of all religious backgrounds as well as agnostics and atheists.
It is believed that yoga initially arrived in the United States towards the end of the 19th and the start of the 20th centuries. Swami Vivekananda's speech to the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893 was one crucial moment. According to Sherwin, Paramahansa Yogananda's 1946 book Autobiography of a Yogi, which is still read by many yoga practitioners, marked a significant turning point in the development of yoga in the West. Instead of teaching at a studio (as is the case today), yoga instructors were more likely to travel from city to city in the first half of the 20th century to teach yoga classes or give lectures.
Notably, adjustments to American immigration law made starting in 1965 made it possible for more South Asian immigrants (particularly yogis from India, where the practice was more widespread) to immigrate to the country. Proper arrow Yoga centers and publications were widespread in the United States by the 1970s.
Asana is the term for yoga's positions and its physical application.
Even while the science behind yoga's health benefits is still in its infancy, the vast majority of the information that is now available seems to support what practitioners have probably known for thousands of years: yoga is incredibly beneficial for our overall well-being.
Let's examine some of the many benefits of yoga in more detail:
YOGA IMPROVES FLEXIBILITY
In an effort to determine the worth of yoga in the face of its rising popularity, two of the industry's main organizations, Yoga Journal and Yoga Alliance, undertook a global survey in 2016.
The most frequently reported justification for practicing yoga was to "increase flexibility".
Physical health includes flexibility as a key element. There are numerous yoga types available, with levels of difficulty ranging from high to light. It has been discovered that styles of even the lowest intensity promote flexibility.
Yoga appears to be particularly effective for enhancing flexibility in persons 65 and older. The normal decline in flexibility that comes with aging was found to be slowed down and improved in older persons who practiced yoga, according to a 2019 study.
YOGA IMPROVES MENTAL HEALTH
One of the most prevalent mental health conditions in the world is major depressive disorder (MDD).
Yoga can now be thought of as an effective alternative treatment for MDD, according to a 2017 meta-analysis of 23 interventions that examined the impact of yoga-based treatments on depressive symptoms.
Depressive symptoms have been demonstrated to be greatly improved by both breathing-based treatments and yoga therapies that involve movement.
YOGA WILL LIKELY INCREASE YOUR STRENGTH
Although most people think of yoga as a way to stretch and become more flexible, some yoga programs can also be thought of as strength-building exercises. In simple terms, it depends on the teacher, technique, and level of the class. Yoga asana is a multimodal form of exercise as an outcome.
Yoga's capacity to increase strength has been researched in a variety of scenarios, including those involving elderly adults, children, and those with breast cancer.
Yoga was proven to be an efficient strength-building technique across several age groups of healthy volunteers in another study on Air Force personnel.
YOGA REDUCES ANXIETY
Anxiety disorders may be the most prevalent mental health illnesses in the United States, according to a recent report by the Anxiety and Depression Association of America.
Generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and specific phobias are only a few of the several types of anxiety disorders. Sometimes even long-term stress qualifies as an anxiety condition.
Numerous studies indicate that yoga asana may be useful as a complementary therapy for anxiety disorders, however, some of the researchers want to see more replicated data before drawing any firm conclusions.
The body scan/guided meditation technique known as yoga nidra has been proven to significantly lessen the signs and symptoms of anxiety.
YOGA IMPROVES QUALITY OF LIFE
According to the World Health Organization, quality of life (QOL) is "an individual's perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they reside and in relation to their objectives, standards, priorities, and worries."
Relationships, creativity, opportunities for learning, health, and material comforts are a few variables that influence QOL.
Researchers have long believed that quality of life (QOL) is a key indicator of longevity and the likelihood that a patient will get well after receiving treatment for a chronic condition or injury.
A 2019 meta-analysis found that yoga may have a positive impact on patients' quality of life (QOL).
YOGA HELPS IN IMPROVING SLEEP
Researchers examine a person's capacity to doze off and stay asleep while assessing sleep. Any one or both of these factors may be impacted by insomnia.
It has been demonstrated that yoga helps people sleep more soundly and more rapidly. This is partially because exercise has a lasting positive impact on the body and mind, and because yoga, in particular, helps people decompress and relieve stress.
Numerous studies demonstrate that yoga nidra is especially beneficial for enhancing sleep in addition to (or perhaps because of) reducing anxiety.
CONCLUSION
Despite the fact that the research is still in its infancy (especially in light of how long people have been doing yoga), the findings are encouraging and support what those who practice yoga have been claiming for thousands of years: yoga is good for our general health.
Numerous disciplines fall under the umbrella of yoga, and the majority concentrate on meditative techniques rather than physical exercise. Yoga can even include charitable or karmic deeds!
Yoga is a practice you can perform every day since it's not just physical movement.
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