How Yoga Can Make Positive Changes to Your Body

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How Yoga Can Make Positive Changes to Your Body
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• Practicing yoga can lead to many benefits in our
  daily lives - from reducing stress to improving
  fitness to improving our sense of well-being.
  Below, weve compiled a list of the top 10 ways
  that yoga can help to make positive changes to
  our bodies as well as improve our mental and
  emotional state
• 1. Greater flexibility
• The postures performed during yoga practice can
  help us to increase the flexibility in many areas
  of our body, including the hamstrings, lower
  back, and shoulders. Some styles focus more on
  strength and others emphasize flexibility, but
  all will help to open the body and increase range
  of motion.

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• 2. Improved muscle tone and endurance
• Though introductory yoga classes are not
  generally strenuous, they do require dynamic and
  static movements that tax the muscular system and
  build strength and endurance. The intensity of
  classes will vary based on the level and the
  instructor, but even students in basic classes
  will improve muscle tone and conditioning over
  time.
• 3. Better balance
• Balance training can be an important benefit of
  yoga as many poses involve standing on one leg or
  finding stability with feet wide apart or even
  balancing on

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• just your hands or forearms. All of these
  postures help to improve proprioceptive abilities
  and lead to great balance.
• 4. Reduced stress and anxiety levels
• Many people report that they feel significantly
  more relaxed after practicing yoga and science
  seems to back up these self-reported claims.
• Studies carried out on people who regularly
  practiced yoga discovered that regular practice
  could help to reduce cortisol levels, a key
  hormone associated with stress. Since those
  initial studies, further research has been
  conducted into using yoga to

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• combat the types of illnesses that can cause
  abnormally high levels of cortisol in patients,
  such as depression, high blood pressure,
  Cushings disease, and Type-2 diabetes.
• Other research has shown that GABA levels in the
  brain often increase after a twelve-week yoga
  regimen. Since low levels of GABA
  (gamma-aminobutyric) in the brain have long been
  associated with depression and anxiety,
  scientists theorize that these disorders could be
  reduced in severity or even eliminated after
  regular yoga practice.

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• 5. Lowering blood pressure
• People suffering from mild to moderate
  hypertension may well benefit from practicing
  yoga, as it can help to lower their blood
  pressure. Patients with hypertension who were
  prescribed a regular yoga practice experienced
  greater reductions in blood pressure than a
  control group that used other forms of mild
  exercise such as walking.
• 6. Improved brain function
• Research comparing the brain function in those
  who completed a highly active aerobic exercise
  for 20 minutes, with those who spent the same
  amount of time

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• practicing yoga, has shown that the brain
  performance of those in the latter group, was
  significantly better.
• This could be associated with enhanced
  self-awareness - something that can come after
  practicing yoga or other meditative exercises and
  which may help with cognition. These types of
  exercises, in general, are known to reduce stress
  and anxiety, and may also improve cognitive brain
  performance, boost focus, and assist with memory
  as well.

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• 7. Vital lung capacity may increase
• The maximal quantity of air exhaled after a deep
  breath is known as vital lung capacity, and some
  forms of yoga - such as Hatha - have been known
  to significantly increase this capacity.
• New studies have also discovered that yoga could
  benefit patients suffering from COPD (chronic
  obstructive pulmonary disease), which is
  incurable and can include chronic bronchitis or
  emphysema (or in some cases, both). The lung
  function of those who took part in the study and
  practiced yoga for 12 weeks was greatly improved,
  along with reductions in shortness of breath and
  inflammation.

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• 8. Better control of diseases such as heart
  disease and diabetes
• When added to an existing healthy lifestyle, yoga
  may significantly lower cardiovascular risk
  factors like high blood pressure, blood sugar,
  and cholesterol. This can make a significant
  difference for those with various types of heart
  disease and help them to control their symptoms.
• The regular practicing of yoga often leads to
  steadier blood sugar levels in those who suffer
  from diabetes. In recent years, a report by
  Reuters indicated that within three months of a
  patient beginning to practice yoga alongside
  their diabetes care, their body mass index
  decreased and their blood sugar remained at a
  safe level.

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• 9. Relief from chronic lower back pain
• Back pain can affect the lives of many,
  particularly as they age. Multiple studies have
  demonstrated that therapeutic yoga practices can
  be more effective than traditional methods of
  treatment in reducing pain levels and improving
  the overall mood of those suffering from chronic
  lower back pain.
• 10. Weight is easier to control
• A recent study in Seattle found links between the
  regular practice of yoga and decreased body
  weight in many middle-aged adults. During the
  study, overweight participants lost an average of
  5 pounds in the same amount of time in which

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• those who didnt practice yoga gained around 14
  pounds.
• Aside from the physical activity itself, yoga
  also raises body and emotional awareness, which
  can aid practitioners in making healthier choices
  when it comes to meal times.
• If some of the benefits above sound enticing to
  you, then its probably time for you to see if
  yoga can be helpful to you. Find a local class
  that caters to beginners and give it a try. You
  might find yourself on a path to becoming
  healthier and happier as you discover all of the
  positive changes that yoga can help you achieve.

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