Yoga Salutations.

What are the physical benefits of yoga?

One of the reasons that year after year attracts thousands of people to the practice of yoga is the many physical benefits that this ancient discipline provides. Many of these benefits that yoga gives us are supported by scientific studies and, consequently, doctors and therapists from various disciplines recommend a regular and progressive practice, adapted to each person and to each moment of their life.

Yoga

Obviously, yoga is not a magic potion or the solution to all our health problems, but there is a general consensus about its positive effects on the human body, which help us achieve a higher quality and life expectancy. Here we summarize some of the most important:

Strengthens muscles and bones.

Yoga helps strengthen muscles but prevents lactic acid from building up in the body and does not reduce flexibility. Having a defined musculature protects the bones, prevents injuries and prevents diseases such as arthritis.

As for the bones, it is proven that yoga helps to strengthen them and stop the loss of bone mass. In addition, it is essential to prevent injuries and fractures. Yoga also improves body posture, something that directly affects the health of the spine.

Increase flexibility.

Beyond advancing postures, flexibility greatly helps us avoid injury. When starting out in yoga, lack of flexibility is one of the aspects that causes the most headaches in the practitioner, especially among men. But with constancy and progressively increasing the presence in the positions, we will improve in a very notable way. As flexibility increases, many of the muscle aches caused by tension and poor posture disappear.

Alleviate the pain.

With a well-adapted practice, yoga is very effective in alleviating most chronic pain such as neck pain, rheumatoid arthritis, knee pain, low back pain, chronic back pain, sciatica, or fibromyalgia, among others.

Keeps us young.

There are recent studies that suggest that yoga and meditation can affect DNA, protecting it from damage and also preventing and reversing the negative changes that affect the aging process of the body, since it has a direct impact on the activity of the telomerase enzyme, key to protecting telomeres in each cell division. These benefits could also prevent age-related cognitive decline, especially when combined with meditation.

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Burn calories.

This is probably one of the benefits of yoga that most attracts the general public. But beyond aesthetics, what interests us the most is that in a healthy lifestyle it is important to maintain a body free of overweight. Some research has agreed that the practice of Vinyasa Yoga implies an average caloric expenditure of 7 kcal/min, which is equivalent to burning about 507 calories per hour.

Improves breathing

One of the fundamental points of yoga is that it teaches us to breathe, more than correctly, consciously. Without counting the various techniques that pranayama presents, only the practice of asanas already implies a permanent control of breathing and, consequently, a substantial improvement in the oxygenation of the whole organism. The breathing is known as abdominal or diaphragmatic, which in the inspiration begins in the abdomen to continue in the intercostal area and ends in the clavicle, and in expiration follows the route in reverse, increases the oxygenation of the cells. Also, breathing deeply and at a leisurely pace slows down your heart rate and relaxes your muscles.

Supports the immune system and balances the nervous system.

Yoga helps reduce the level of cortisol, the hormone related to stress, which as we know is closely linked to health problems of all kinds. By directly affecting this hormone, the practice of yoga increases our resistance to diseases and infections.

One of the secrets of yoga documented in numerous studies is that, when combining dynamic postures with relaxation, it is much more effective as a tool to combat stress than any relaxation exercise that is not accompanied by any other dynamic practice. In this way, in addition, it is possible to maintain a balance in the nervous system.

Promotes cardiovascular health.

Various studies maintain that yoga fights hypertension and reduces blood cholesterol levels, which in the long run lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease. It also decreases the accumulation of fat in the arteries and reduces the blood concentration of interleukin-6, a molecule linked to the body's inflammatory response and which seems to be involved in heart attacks, type 2 diabetes, arthritis and other diseases.

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Improves mood in cancer patients.

Although there are not enough studies that demonstrate a decisive impact of yoga in cancer patients, there is evidence that indicates that yoga can improve mood and reduce anxiety, depression, or emotional stress, as well as relieve nervousness in people with cancer. . Additionally, it can help reduce fatigue in breast cancer patients and survivors.