Besides improving physical strength and flexibility, the benefits of yoga also include stress relief and diminished food cravings.
For more than 5,000 years yoga has been practiced. It is a system of exercise that consists of physical poses and breathing techniques that promote a strong mind-body connection. Today around 11 million Americans practice it. The number is growing as the benefits of yoga become more well-known. You may already know that it increases your flexibility, strength and posture. Do you know that it can help improve your mood and diet as well?
The practice of yoga can help you to transform your daily habits naturally by provoking cravings for healthier foods. One of the core disciplines of yoga is mindfulness or developing an increased attentiveness to the connection between your body, mind, emotions and environment. This mindfulness can have a great impact on how you eat. Different foods affect our bodies differently, some giving us more energy, others making us feel more sluggish. Many people who practice yoga find that it helps them become more aware of this relationship.
Even junk food junkies have found themselves craving fruits and vegetables as they become more mindful through the practice of yoga. Over time they often find themselves having a greater awareness of when they are full. Similar to the Benefits of Satiereal Saffron, in this way, yoga can have a large impact on your food intake.
Along with helping you to eat mindfully, yoga is stress relieving. When you are stressed, you have an adrenaline boost that leaves you feeling unable to rest or relax. Yoga emphasizes the deepening and lengthening of your breathing which stimulates relaxation and lowers adrenaline levels. Styles of yoga that focus the mind through breathing help further by quieting “mind chatter” that is often the source of stress. The biochemical responses your body has to the movement of yoga can decrease your stress levels further. When trying to lose weight this is a great benefit since high stress levels can have a physiological effect on your body that makes weight loss more challenging.
The harmony of body and mind that you are able to achieve through yoga has as great an impact on your mood as on your body. Most people practicing yoga feel happier. Like all exercise, doing yoga releases endorphins that will leave you more energetic and happy. This is not the only reason yoga can enhance your mood. The connection you develop between your body and mind coupled with your body’s growing strength and fitness usually result in a more positive feeling towards your body. When we feel better about ourselves often our whole outlook becomes sunnier. Also, feeling less stressed and eating a more nutritious diet add to an improved mood.
When considering adding exercise to your lifestyle, yoga is an excellent choice.
Photo Credit: Lululemon Athletica
