- 1. Decreases stress and anxiety
- 2. Promotes fitness
- 3. Facilitates weight loss
- 4. Relieves bodily pain
- 5. Controls pressure and heart rate
- 6. Improves sleep
- 7. Improves pleasure in intimate contact
- Health benefits for the elderly
- Health benefits for pregnant women
Yoga offers several health benefits, both for women and men, because it works the body and mind in an interconnected way, with exercises that help to control stress, anxiety, pain in the body and spine, in addition to improving the balance and facilitate weight loss.
To enjoy all the benefits of this activity, it takes at least 3 months of practice, as the person acquires body awareness and starts to better control the mind so that it influences the body and, thus, the whole organism works in a way harmonic and balanced. Check out Bio-gymnastics, which combines Yoga, Meditation, Animal movements and Breathing.
Thus, some of the benefits that yoga can bring to health are:
1. Decreases stress and anxiety
The meditation practiced in yôga makes the person concentrate on the present, freeing the mind from problems of the past or future, which provides emotional balance, a sense of inner peace, well-being and balance of the mind for everyday situations. day.
In addition, it also helps in the treatment of depression, due to the feeling of relaxation, with increased self-confidence, optimism, concentration, decreased irritability and improved interpersonal relationships.
2. Promotes fitness
The exercises, techniques and postures of this activity can improve the resistance and strengthening of the muscles, in a more or less intense way, depending on the style and modality of the yôga practiced.
This helps to improve the body's performance for physical activities and daily tasks, increases lean mass and leaves the body in shape, with greater definition and toned muscles.
3. Facilitates weight loss
One of the main reasons that the practice of yoga causes weight loss is due to the control of anxiety and desire to eat, decreasing the amount of calories consumed in the day.
The exercises and positions performed also help in the loss of fat, but this varies according to the style practiced, less in the more relaxed ones, like Iyengar or Tantra yôga, or more in the dynamic ones, like Ashtanga or Power yôga, for example.
4. Relieves bodily pain
With yoga, the person starts to have greater body awareness, which means that he will have a greater perception of posture, the way he walks, how he sits and signs of muscle tension. In this way, it is possible to correct changes, such as contractures, so that any changes are resolved and the muscle structure is relaxed, without causing damage to the spine and joints of the body. Check out some yoga exercises to improve back pain.
The posture and stretching exercises also help to release tension and give flexibility to the muscles, relieving pain caused by scoliosis, herniated disc, fibromyalgia and muscle contractures, for example.
Learn, in the video below, some Pilates exercises, simple and practical, to help correct posture:
5. Controls pressure and heart rate
Yôga improves the functioning of the heart and lungs, as it regulates the nervous system and improves blood circulation, heartbeat, blood pressure, in addition to balancing the endocrine system, controlling the levels of stress hormones, such as cortisol and adrenaline.
Respiratory capacity also improves due to lung expansion and breathing control exercises. In this way, yôga improves physical conditioning, but differently from conventional physical exercises, such as weight training or sports.
6. Improves sleep
In addition to causing relaxation and tranquility, facilitating a good night's sleep, yôga increases the production of melatonin, a hormone that regulates the sleep cycle, leaving you with more quality and depth.
Having a more relaxed body also makes rest better at night, providing more energy and disposition the next day.
7. Improves pleasure in intimate contact
Sexual performance can also improve with yoga, as the couple starts to have greater sensitivity during intimate contact, due to the greater ability to relax and have better receptivity to the partner.
In addition, by controlling concentration and relieving anxiety, problems such as difficulty reaching orgasm, erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation can be controlled.
Health benefits for the elderly
Elderly people can benefit greatly from the practice of this activity, as it strengthens the muscles, relieves pain throughout the body, improves balance, flexibility and attention.
The control of pressure, heart rate and breathing are also effects of yoga that can bring better quality of life and well-being to the elderly, in addition to helping to control diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol. In addition to yôgas, find out what are the best exercises to practice in old age.
It is important to remember that the exercises practiced in this activity must be adapted to the conditions and needs of each person, so that they are done naturally and according to the benefits that the person seeks, thus avoiding injuries, sprains or feelings of discouragement.
Health benefits for pregnant women
In addition to being beneficial for any woman, yoga can also bring great benefits during pregnancy, as it improves flexibility and facilitates adaptation to changes in the body during this period, toning muscles, stretching joints, and making pregnancy less painful and tense. In addition, respiratory movements are also more synchronized, reducing the feeling of shortness of breath that occurs in the final periods of pregnancy.
The relaxation provided by being active can also reduce anxiety and worry, which are very common in pregnant women, making the woman more peaceful, and facilitating the baby's development in a healthy way.
During this period, the practice of physical exercises should be guided by a health professional and released by the obstetrician, and should preferably be light and relaxing. Learn how to do yoga exercises for pregnant women.