The science of Yoga brings with it many physical and emotional benefits that the majority of people are unaware of. This article is quite long, so we have broken it up into two parts. The first part is an introduction to Yoga and a overview of the major physical and psychological benefits of Yoga, while the second part shows how practicing yoga daily can have a profound effect on your ability to create a healthy lifestyle for yourself.
Yoga is a science; and indeed, in many places in the world (such as India), it is referred to as a science. This is not merely playing with words. In other words, it truly is approached as a science, which means that it is understood in terms of scientific methods.
Yogic science seeks to verify cause and effect, and build principles based upon objective observations. Indeed, in many places in the world, to be a yogic master of any credibility, one must be highly educated in the sciences, including physics and the biological sciences.
This discussion on yoga as science is important for us to include because it allows us to sensibly ask the question: what are the benefits of yoga? After all, if yoga is a faith or a belief, then asking this question isn’t fair; because it’s one that yoga cannot answer in terms that we can objectively understand.
Yoga is a science
As empirical and pragmatic as kinesiology, or exercise science, which seeks to understand how the body acts and reacts to changes in the internal physical environment. And even more simply than any of this: each of us has a right to ask the basic question, “why should I bother practicing yoga and what experience or benefits can I expect?”
Indeed, while the experience of yoga cannot be reduced to words – just as reading a book on preparing for a marathon isn’t going to actually physically prepare you to run a marathon – the goals and principles of yoga can easily be discussed.
Here’s the Mayo Clinic’s take on the benefits of meditation:
“People who are perfectly healthy as a means of stress reduction use Meditation. But if you have a bad medical condition, you might find the practice valuable in reducing the stress-related effects of allergies, asthma, chronic pain and arthritis, among others.”
Yoga involves a series of postures, during which you pay special attention to your breathing — exhaling during certain movements and inhaling with others. You can approach yoga as a way to promote physical flexibility, strength and endurance or as a way to enhance your spirituality.
The Mind-Body Connection
Yoga is centered on the mind-body connection. Three things help to achieve this mind-body harmony:
- postures (asanas)
- proper breathing (pranayama)
- meditation
Mind and body draw inspiration and guidance from the combined practices of asanas, breathing, and meditation. As people age (to yogis, ageing is an artificial condition), our bodies become susceptible to toxins and poisons (caused by environmental and poor dietary factors).
Yoga helps us through a cleaning process. As a result, our body turn into a well synchronized and well-oiled piece of machinery.
Physical Benefits
You can attain the benefits of yoga by harmonizing these three principles. And just what are these benefits?
- equilibrium in the body’s central nervous system
- decrease in pulse
- respiratory and blood pressure rates
- improved dexterity skills
- cardiovascular efficiency
- Improved depth perception
- gastrointestinal system stabilization
- increased breath-holding time
- Improved balance
- Improved memory
Psychological Benefits
As noted above, Yoga also delivers an array of psychological benefits; and in fact, this is a very common reason why people begin practicing it in the first place. Perhaps the most frequently mentioned psychological benefit of yoga is an improved ability to manage stress. Yoga diminishes an individual’s levels of anxiety, depression, and lethargy; thus enabling him/her to focus on what’s spiritual and important: achieving balance and happiness.
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