How Yoga Aids Your Health- Reasons Why You Should Start Practicing Yoga Today

Yoga is a group of physical, mental and spiritual practices of disciplines that stole the spotlight from all other physical activities today.

You may not know this, but besides helping you get fit, yoga has numerous other health benefits as well. 15 minutes of yoga per day is all you need to feel the difference it will bring to your mind and body. Here are some of the pro's that yoga has:

1. Improve flexibility, strength, and posture

   A daily dose of yoga will help stretch and tone your body muscles. Poses such as the plank will simultaneously work on toughening your arms, legs, abs, and shoulders and poses like the warrior or the downward facing dog, will make you feel the difference in your flexibility, whether your flexibility is advanced or not. The good news is that you don't have to be extra flexible in order to practice yoga- it can be practiced at all levels of ability.
2. Improving your fitness
   Instead of hitting the gym, grab your yoga mat and start warming up. Yoga has the same benefits as training in the gym but in a peaceful, safe and holistic way. It includes aspects of cardio, functional and strength training all in one. And the best part? You can adjust the pace as you wish, in the peace of your own home.
3. Weight loss
   An everyday yoga practice can help you burn fat by boosting your metabolism and balancing the hormones in your body. Levels of cortisol, the hormone that is released in response to stress and low blood-glucose concentration, will be lowered, leading to less overeating. Daily yoga also improves the mind-body connection and helps you deal more effectively with unpleasant emotions.
4. Energy increase
   Daily yoga practice will awaken the chakras (main energy centers) in our body. Great poses for extra energy are those that extend the spine, such as the tree pose, allowing energy to circulate throughout the \body, and poses that open the chest (ex. the cobra pose) encouraging the intake of more breath.
5. Reduce stress
   According to some studies those people who regularly practice poses, breathing and meditation are better able to regulate their heart-rate variability (HRV). This means that they approach stress more flexible.
6. Breathe better
   Yogic breathing techniques (pranayama) focus on slowing down the breath and on breathing fully from the pit of your stomach to the top of your lungs. 
   These methods will make you feel more relaxed and balanced. They also have some great side benefits such as increased lung capacity and more tidal volume.
7. Be happier
   Long-term yoga practitioners have more mass in the areas of the brain associated with contentment, according to some studies. Another study has shown that the brain's gamma-aminobutyric (GABA) levels are higher after practicing yoga which means lower levels of depression and anxiety. 
8. Mindfulness
   
   Get ready to pay more attention to the sensations, thoughts, and emotions that follow a given pose. That awareness will bring the mind back to the present moment where it can stay happy and focused. You will feel more calm and relaxed, and less stress and anxiety. You will experience higher levels of energy and enthusiasm and more self-confidence and self-acceptance.
9. A clear mind and better concentration
   Since yoga poses and meditation require you to concentrate on your breathing, while observing your breath you will calm your mind and be more mentally relaxed. As a result of this stability, you will be able to absorb more information and have more organized thoughts.
10. Longer Life
    As we mentioned above, by practicing yoga you will increase your level of fitness, regulate your heart rate, reduce your stress levels and be a happier person. All of these elements may add years to your life. Recent studies have shown that the meditation element of yoga might help delay the process of aging by protecting the telomeres at the end of our chromosomes, as well.