This Is What Happens When You Do Yoga: Some Positive Health Effects

For some, yoga is a form of exercise in the same way as strength training and running. For others, it's a way of life. What is it about yoga that makes so many people love it?

Find out what happens in your body – and your mind – when you lie in child's position or do downward dog.

Strengthens The Muscles

Practicing yoga can eventually lead to your muscles becoming stronger. Mastering the various yoga positions requires both strength and mobility, so you will notice improvements in both technique and muscle strength as you practice.

The positions require different types of muscle activity; concentric, eccentric and static muscle work, which means you are constantly challenging your muscles in new ways. In addition, yoga puts your mobility to the test, which means that you become more supple and flexible than before.

Increases Mental Capacity

When you do yoga, you focus on your breathing and your body in a way that can be calming and stress-reducing. During meditative yoga practice, you may experience an increase in alpha waves in the brain. This electrical activity is associated with relaxation and calm thought activity, and over time this change in brain activity can become persistent. 

Among other things, it can lead to better concentration, greater mental capacity and more creativity.At the same time, focusing on breathing makes it easier to disconnect your thoughts and prevent them from wandering while you exercise.

Reduces Stress

Breathing affects the autonomic nervous system, which is the nervous system that controls the internal organs we cannot control with our will.Slow breathing affects the autonomic nervous system so that our heart rate and blood pressure decrease. When you do yoga and focus on breathing deeply and slowly, you can therefore experience calmness and stability in your body.

 Over time, these positive changes can be sustained over time and this is one of the reasons why practicing yoga is said to reduce stress.

Regulates Hormones

During the yoga exercises, the cortisol levels in the body drop. Cortisol is a stress hormone that occurs naturally in the body and is released during periods of physical and emotional stress.

If you practice yoga for a long time, cortisol levels can be regulated down, which in turn can contribute to a stronger immune system and lower blood pressure.At the same time, the body releases endorphins when you exercise, which can give you a feeling of happiness and calm.

Strengthens The Immune System

As mentioned earlier, yoga can help boost your immune system. Since a high level of stress over time can weaken our immune system, exercise focusing on breathing and stress management can reduce stress levels and thus strengthen the immune system.

In other words, regular yoga sessions or a small time-out in everyday life focusing on breathing can make you better equipped against disease — and it's simple prevention!

Improves Mood

In the same way as the immune system, mood can be improved by calming the body and clearing the mind. The purpose of yoga is to work with the body as a whole, i.e. body, mind and soul.

When you practice yoga, you can get a feeling of being focused, relaxed and getting to know your body in a new way. These things can help you get clarity on things that are bothering you, and thus feel lighter in your mind.

Easier To Fall Asleep

Practicing yoga can help make it easier to fall asleep and also improve the quality of your sleep. By reducing stress levels and anxiety in the body, you can fall asleep more easily.

For many people, it is thoughts that are constantly spinning in their heads that make it difficult to fall asleep. If you struggle to stop your thoughts and relax, you can start by breathing more slowly. The goal is for both inhalation and exhalation to last at least five seconds. Focus on your breathing and feel your body calm down.

Do You Want To Try Yoga?

The first tip is to find a good teacher. All forms of yoga can be practiced by beginners, it is important to do the yoga positions correctly so that you get the right effect and avoid injuries.

If you find a good teacher, you can benefit from taking the same classes over time and learning the positions and how to work with breathing at the same time. Once you've learned, you can do yoga on your own at home, on your lunch break at work or on vacation.

Are You Stiff?

You don't have to be soft and flexible to start doing yoga. Lower your standards and avoid comparing yourself to those around you. Start by feeling how your body works and reacts to the different exercises and work from there.You will probably experience the effects of yoga whether you are rigid in your body or not, as the effects of yoga can be experienced in many ways.

For example, in the form of less stress, a softer body or better body control. However, it is still important to pay attention to your body's signals of overexertion and pain, as it is possible to injure yourself if you exercise incorrectly, overtrain or ignore the pain threshold, and overexert tendons and muscles.