One of the most enjoyable aspects of teaching yoga is to witness how great the students look & feel when they leave the class. Modern science continues to research why this is the case and it’s positive effects on the brain, central nervous system and immune system.
As we approach the new season at the studio, I wanted to share some of the benefits that should be expected with a regular yoga practice.. So that we feel motivated to continue our practice. Here are examples of what’s happening in our body, nervous system and our emotions as we practice postures.
Physically
It will improve your posture
Yoga increases mobility & flexibility so that you can bring ease to your daily movements that require kneeling, bending or reaching.
Better body posture reduces anxiety, improves productivity, reduces chronic back pain or muscle tension and helps you breath better.
You will breath better
Deep breathing has been proven to impact the heart, brain, digestion, immune system. Yoga brings awareness and control to our breath patterns and restore natural diaphragmatic breathing, and improves oxygen absorption. Therefore , it alkalinises the body, maintaining a balanced metabolism
Stress relief
Yoga reduces physical effects of stress on the body . By encouraging relaxation yoga lowers the levels of stress hormones such as cortisol.
You will sleep better
We sleep better when we are less stressed. Yoga postures are aimed to relax the nervous system and reduce insomnia and when we feel less stressed we sleep better.
Mentally
It sharpens concentration
Observing your body, breath and emotions through the yoga practice teaches you to focus your mind on one thing at a time. Over time practicing focus will give mental clarity and calmness.
It activates the Parasympathetic nervous system
“Why do we feel better when we take deep breaths?” when we take a deep breath, all the way to the top of the lungs, we release a neurotransmitter called bradykinin, and bradykinin signals the parasympathetic nervous system to activate. The parasympathetic nervous system signals our body to relax so that we can cope better with stress and reach a more positive outlook on life.
Emotionally
There are four main happy hormones, which are: Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin, and Endorphins. Yoga postures activates these hormones and reduces mood states like anxiety and depression.We already have a powerful pharmacy within our own system, it’s just a matter of learning what practices impact on what states of well-being.
Over the years, Yoga has helped me on all aspects mentioned above, and countless participants are feeding back similar results.
The studio is re-opening on Wednesday, 28 August and I look forward to continue to benefit from this ancient practice together.
with gratitude,
Meric