The Benefits of Yoga

If you are considering the option of yoga it is important to find a reputable trainer who has received the necessary training from a reputable yoga teacher. The right training helps to make the body flexible while helping an individual to relax even in a stressful environment.

Yoga is recommended highly because it helps to relax the body, mind and spirit. Practicing yoga will help you to feel fitter, happier, peaceful and more energetic. The benefits of yoga include:

· Mitigates disability

Every moment you get an opportunity to practice yoga, you get to take the joints through their motion. This can go a long way in mitigating disability or preventing degenerative arthritis. This is made possible by soaking and squeezing areas within the cartilage that are not used to squeezing.

The joint cartilage behaves like a sponge that receives nutrients. When the fluid is squeezed out while new supply is soaked up. With the absence of proper sustenance, the neglected areas within the cartilage can wear out and thus exposing the bones like worn out brake pads.

· Repairs the spinal disks

The spinal disk receives the necessary nutrients through the right exercise. As long as you have a well balanced posture (asana) practice that involves plenty of twists, forward bends and back-bends this will help to keep the spinal disk in the right condition.

· Ward off osteoporosis

The right weight bearing exercise has the ability of strengthening bones while warding off osteoporosis. Most of the yoga postures require the practitioner to lift his/her own weight. Some of the postures like 'downward and upward facing dog' help to strengthen the bones located in the arm.

These particular areas are prone to osteoporosis fractures. According to research, yoga practice has the ability of increasing bone density especially in the vertebrae. Yoga has the ability of lowering levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, by keeping calcium within the bone.

· Enhances flow of blood

The relaxation exercises learnt in a yoga retreat help with circulation, particularly in the hands and feet. In addition, yoga helps to get oxygen to the cells, making them to function better. Twisting poses are recommended because they help to wring-out venous blood from the internal organs while allowing oxygenated blood to find its way through the body when the twist is released.

The inverted poses, including head stand, shoulder stand and hand stand, help venous blood coming from the pelvis and legs to flow to the heart, so that it can be pumped gradually to the lungs where it is freshly oxidized.