How Yoga Can Help Ease Both Mind And Body

Yoga is a form of exercise that is usually practiced to unify the body, mind and the spirit so as to foster great connection between an individual and his/her surroundings.

Why You Should Do Yoga?

Yoga is beneficial in many ways. It improves your physical fitness, and it also has psychological benefits. The psychological benefits of yoga are attributed to its meditative nature. Yoga helps in increasing muscle strength, improving the body flexibility and balancing and enhancing respiratory endurance. Yoga helps to increase the body and mental energy, and it's also one of the best forms of exercises because of its low impact style.

People who practice yoga tend to develop enthusiasm, alertness and reduced negative feelings such as anxiety, aggressiveness and excitability.

Generally yoga is beneficial exercise for psychological problems and illnesses such as arthritis, which usually cause pain.

Even though yoga is a good form of exercise, people should not abandon other forms of exercise; especially patients of arthritis who commonly suffer from decreased muscle strength, endurance and physical energy, which are commonly contributed by sedentary lifestyle.

What Are The Benefits Of Yoga?

There is a lot of evidence that has proven the benefits of yoga, but not many scientific studies have been done. But some studies have shown positive results indicating that yoga is capable of improving joint health, emotional well-being and physical functioning of the body.

Yoga can be easily done compared to other forms of exercises. Not only is it easy to perform, but it is also enjoyable.

Yoga can help in stress management, especially when someone wants to reduce frustrations that are as a result of pain.

Even though there have been several drugs for arthritis in the market, there is a need for additional activities the patients can do in order to be relieved from pain and disability. This means that when a patient combines medication and exercises such as yoga, he/she will be able to experience better improvement than a patient who only takes the medication alone.

What Precautions Should Be Taken?

Yoga, just like any other form of exercise, should be done with precaution. Before starting yoga, you can talk with a yoga instructor to know if there are any safety measures you should observe. This will ensure that you avoid any injuries that can cause more pain.

The main components of yoga are usually the poses which are called the asanas; relaxation and breathing techniques are called pranyama.

There are several yoga types, and it is good to know the different types so that you can know which one is well-suited for your needs. Gentle types of yoga are good for patients of arthritis. Examples of gentle types of yoga include iyengar, hatha and asana. These types of yoga are also good for beginners.

Beginning classes for yoga usually involve standing and sitting poses. This helps in ensuring the participants increase their awareness of their body and its relationship to space. When doing the exercises, avoid going beyond what you are comfortable with, since this can put you at risk for injury. A yoga instructor will be able to determine which poses are good for you.

How Do You Do Pranyama?

When doing pranyama, the body movement should match with your breath; for example, moving in one direction when inhaling and the opposite direction when exhaling. Asanas are meant to ensure greater health and well being. Asanas help in improving the flexibility, the body balance and the body strength. In asanas, you hold poses for a period of time depending on your experience and your physical condition. You can use props such as straps and blocks to help you adjust to challenging poses.

Meditation, which is part of yoga, is usually done before or after asana. Meditation is done by being quiet, focusing your mind and then relieving it of the day's happenings. Meditation helps in providing relief and allow greater spiritual awakening. Focus during meditation can be an image, sound and a personal prayer or an idea. The instructor can guide you on how to approach meditation.

What Is Chanting?

Chanting is also another way of doing yoga. Chanting helps in improving individual sense of spirituality. Yoga chants are usually words of peace, and unlike singing, there is no judgment about the quality of the chant.

Finally, when you are about to start a yoga session ensure you wear comfortable clothes that can allow full movement of the body. It is also a good idea to carry a bottle of water, in order to keep yourself hydrated during the session. Yoga can be practiced at home, but only if you are experienced. For beginners, it is advisable to attend sessions where there is an instructor.

Donna Begg is an expert editor, mentor, analyst, and researcher.