Yoga: Finding Strength & Serenity

The physical science behind yoga is that it produces a physiological state opposite to the body’s normal flight-or-fight stress response. By counteracting this stress response, yoga helps the individual achieve a sense of balance and calm throughout the mind and body. Evidence shows that stress is directly correlated with cancer, heart disease, stroke, and other chronic diseases. Yoga decreases physiological arousal by reducing heart rate, lowering blood pressure, and slowing down the breath. The mindful focus on the breath and internal self can be beneficial for people struggling with anxiety or depression. By accepting yoga as a stress management technique, the risk of physical and mental illness can be reduced.

Many yoga poses improve the range of motion of joints and strengthen muscles around joints. More flexibility means more lengthening of muscles which help reduce muscle pain and loosen up accumulated tension. Being more flexible can be beneficial as you age. It reduces the risk of joint pain, back pain, and the chance of injury in case of a fall. There is increased blood and nutrients to tissues which keeps bones strong and healthy. Being flexible increases the body’s capabilities and allows greater freedom of movement which allows an individual to be active in old age. 

Yoga is beneficial in mindfulness and self awareness. Practicing yoga brings you into the present moment, forgetting the worries of the past or the future. Yoga aims to guide you to quiet your mind and form a deeper connection with yourself and the world around you. The breathing techniques connect the body in the present and builds awareness of everything that is happening around you during that time. By practicing mindfulness, it is easier to accept ‘what is’. Being aware of any feeling or emotion in that moment and accepting it as it is, with no judgements or reactions.