Yoga has intertwined itself into our culture, and if you are reading this, you have been touched by yoga too. In this present day, more and more people, especially the Westerners, are resorting to yoga to find a cure for chronic health problems and attain a peace of mind. Yoga is widely practised for health and relaxation around the world now. Many of you may be curious about knowing what exactly yoga is and what it includes. Generally, we tend to think that yoga merely includes stretching and warm up exercises. Yes, yoga does involve stretching, but it includes many other things beyond that are beneficial to our mind as well as our body. We can all agree that yoga is great for your body and health but the intended purpose and meaning of the Sanskrit word ‘yoga’ means to know and be at peace with yourself.
For those who are unaware what exactly yoga is, it is a Hindu spiritual and ascetic discipline which includes breath control, simple meditation, and the adoption of specific body postures. Originated in ancient India, it is an art based on harmonising system development and it typically means ‘union’ between the mind, body and spirit. Having peace with yourself is to have freedom from all pain and suffering, doubt and confusion. Realising the core essence of your life and the source of all life is called yoga. Yoga involves the practice of physical postures and poses. The ultimate aim is to create a balance and to attain self-enlightenment. In order to achieve this, yoga makes use of a variety of movements, breathing exercises, relaxation techniques and meditation. Yoga is also associated with a healthy, active and lively lifestyle with a balanced approach to life. Yoga brings stability to the body and the mind. It helps with the lubrication of joints, ligaments and tendons of the body. In the field of medicine, studies have suggested that yoga is the only form of physical activity that provides complete exercise to the body because it massages all of the internal organs and glands. As a result, this reduces the risk of many diseases. Yoga has evidently created a positive permanent difference to the lifestyle for those who practice it on a regular basis. It can be the perfect way to ensure overall health and physical fitness.
It teaches a person to experience inner peace by controlling the body and mind. Yoga is a state of connection and a body of techniques that allow us to connect to anything. Conscious connection to something allows us to feel and experience that thing, person or experience. A joyful, blissful and a fulfilling experience is the experience of connection in the state of yoga. Through meditation and breathing exercises; you can eliminate all your stress and lead a healthy life. Yoga has been proven to be one of the best remedies for curing chronic ailments that are often difficult to be cured by other medications. People suffering from back pain and arthritis are often suggested to practice physical postures and poses that concentrate on providing exercise to the muscles at the specific locations that cause pain. The amazing thing about yoga is that it has positive effects on the health and mind that are visible over time. Practicing yoga on a regular basis provides a number of physical benefits. You can achieve increased flexibility, increased muscle strength and tone, improved respiration, energy and vitality, maintain a balanced metabolism, weight loss, cardio and circulatory health, improved athletic performance and protection from injury. The great thing about yoga is that it has a wide range of physical postures and poses. Depending on your stamina and overall health, you can choose from the many stretches and exercises that suit your specific needs and requirements. There are no negative side effects associated with the practice of yoga and the myriad of benefits have made it a widely popular activity to practice. In order to do yoga, you just need to know the most appropriate exercises right for the structure of your body. Knowing the right way to perform certain physical postures and poses can prevent the cause of sprains and injuries.
As mentioned before, yoga can reduce the risk of health problems. Studies have shown that practicing yoga had the same effect on reducing cardiovascular disease. It was indicated that yoga may help lower heart disease risk as much as conventional exercise such as brisk walking or bike riding. During the research, it was found that people who took regular yoga classes saw improvements in a number of factors that affects heart disease risk. Since yoga is relatively an inexpensive activity, it encourages more people to try it out. It is evident that practicing yoga reduces a person’s body mass index (BMI) and low-density (bad) cholesterol levels. Blood pressure and heart rate also dropped. It is interesting to know that yoga and other forms of exercise had the same magnitude effect when compared to people that did not exercise. Yoga is unique as it incorporates not only physical activity but also breathing and meditation. Each of these elements positively affects cardiovascular risk factors, so combining the three shows health benefits. Just like tai chi, the slow, flowing motions combined with deep breathing offer similar advantages to yoga. Yoga gently stretches and exercises your muscles which help them become more sensitive to insulin. Insulin is important for controlling blood sugar as it regulates the amount of glucose in the blood. We all know the benefits of regular exercise. It keeps us fit and healthy and people who are physically inactive are twice as likely to be at risk for heart disease as opposed to those who do exercise. Yoga improves strength and flexibility which directly contributes to cardiovascular health.
When you encounter a stressful situation, the brain releases adrenaline into your system. This as a result, causes your heart to beat faster and your blood pressure increases. Most if not all of us can feel under pressure and can feel stressed out at certain times in our lives. Exams, work, deadlines, and all sorts of other things can make us stress. When our heart beats faster and blood pressure increases, this response from our body can help protect us when facing a threat. However, living in a constant state of stress can disrupt our cardiovascular system. Many of you may (or may not) know that people who are prone to stress have a higher risk of heart disease. With yoga, it can improve stress-related balances in the nervous system. Learning to relax through yoga can also help reduce stress-related inflammation. Inflammation is our body’s way of responding to injury and harmful situation, including stress. Through deep breathing, it can help lower blood pressure. Meditation quiets the nervous system and eases stress. Long-term high blood pressure can weaken the heart and damage blood vessel walls. This causes plaque to build up and potentially narrow or block arteries which is a leading cause of heart attacks and stroke. A unhealthy diet and lack of exercise are major risk factors, which is why keeping a healthy and active lifestyle is paramount. Keeping a healthy lifestyle does not mean you can’t eat sweets and junk food. Everything in moderation is always best, and if you exercise regularly, your body will thank you for the unhealthy foods you have been eating. In essence, performing yoga can be an effective treatment for high blood pressure because of its ability to decrease the body’s response to stress.
Yogis (a person who is proficient in yoga) have extensive knowledge and awareness. In a yoga studio, yogis can teach you how to understand oneself and engages in practices in order to help you realise your potential power of awareness. Our exceptional yoga teachers at UpDog Yoga have years of experience in yoga and can help guide you in a meditative movement class which often incorporates a theme, breath work, sound and yoga philosophy. Our yoga classes are presented in a way that is easy to understand and follow. Our state of the art yoga studio is fully optimised to bring students maximum benefits during each yoga class. With the solid and effective mentoring of our teachers, you will be sure to improve your core and muscle strength, blood circulation, oxygen intake, joint and bone wear as well as ligament lengthening. You now can restore your general wellbeing without having to compromise your budget. At UpDog Yoga, we offer a 30 day intro offer, class passes, unlimited membership, direct debit memberships, private yoga and energy exchange/karma yogis. We keep convenience and suitability at the forefront in order to best guide all our students. We also continually strive to meet and exceed our students’ goals for premium and enriching classes. Experience the difference UpDog Yoga can bring to your health and overall wellbeing when you sign up to one of our affordable yoga programs today! Don’t wait any longer, our classes will be sure to leave you feeling positive and invigorated!