Yoga is known to be a practice that helps one attain the perfect body, peace of mind and a calmness in the soul that one has always desired. However, in its truest sense yoga is much more than just a form of exercise. It is a spiritual form of self-realisation and dates back to more than five thousand years ago. The art of yoga originated in India and it is mostly linked to the Indian sage Patanjali who defined yoga as an eight-step process for spiritual development. The first two stages are mainly concerned with ethical disciplines. These are followed by postures and breathing exercises. The last four branches are meditative stages which focus on ways to control sense, concentration, meditation and enlightenment. Thus, practising yoga has various benefits not only for your body but your spiritual growth as well. Here are some of the major reasons why yoga should be incorporated into everyone’s daily routine.
1. Yoga is a great way to relieve stress
All of us have different ways of dealing with stress and various outlets for it. However, yoga happens to be one of the most easily accessible ways of dealing with stress. All you need to do is find a quiet spot, close your eyes and meditate. Think about how you can be a better version of yourself and only 15 minutes of this can give you a day’s worth of mental peace and a good night’s sleep.
2. Yoga helps you get flexible
Most yoga ‘asanas’, the physical postures and stances comprise one or more spinal twists to help loosen the joints in our spine along with inducing flexibility in muscles and tissues. This can help improve your skills in various sports be it tennis, golf or football. This just goes to show that a little bit of stretching while practising yoga can go a long way. It also helps in detoxification and digestion which tends to work wonders for your body’s flexibility and increase energy levels in general.
3. Yoga helps in preventing workout injuries
Unlike regular types of gym equipment and exercises, yoga focuses on your individual body requirements, keeping in mind your body’s needs and limitations on a daily basis. The ability to scan and assess yourself when you practice yoga will help reduce injuries that might occur while playing other sports. As we are all aware of the fact that flexible and well-stretched muscles tend to heal and recover more quickly, this flexibility and tone of muscles can be achieved perfectly with the help of yoga.
4. Yoga teaches you to push your limits
There are many types of yoga, some are gentle while others are aggressive. Depending on the level of practice, yoga helps to push your limits and test your abilities. The different muscles and tissues that are used in the various exercises help you understand the strength of your body better. With long holds and continual movements, you will be able to make your cardio skills better as you are building your body’s muscle mass.
5. Yoga is the best way to calm your mind
