Benefits of Yoga and Meditation
A study has found that meditation can help alleviate anxiety, depression, and chronic pain. While the practice is ancient in origin, modern neuroscientists discover that it changes both the structure and function of the brain.
And while more research is needed to determine whether these changes result in improved mental health, scientists believe there’s enough evidence for physicians to start suggesting meditation as a treatment option.
“Meditation has cognitive benefits which include greater concentration, attention span, and decision-making skills,” says Sara Lazar, Ph.D., an instructor at Harvard Medical School (HMS) who studies how mediation affects brain structure.
“There are also emotional benefits that may decrease the reactivity you get from strong negative emotions like fear or anger.” Meditation can also be used to alleviate the symptoms of anxiety, depression, and chronic pain.
Lazar states that people can develop their meditation practice in one of two ways:
1) by sitting quietly with your eyes closed for 10 to 20 minutes each day (while focusing on an object like a candle or the breath), or
2) by participating in certain yoga practices which combine traditional postures with deep breathing. Some studies show that meditating for just 30 minutes per day can produce benefits similar to the long-term method. “Briefer practices might also have some effects,” she adds. “There just haven’t been any studies yet.”
Because most meditation techniques focus on concentrating attention, they may boost emotional regulation by strengthening the connection between the brain’s executive control center in the prefrontal cortex and vibrant centers in deeper regions of the brain.
Among other changes, meditation has been associated with thickening gray matter in parts of the cerebral cortex that help carry out attentional focus and self-awareness. Meditation may also lead to positive structural changes in white matter tracts that allow signals from different parts of the brain to travel more efficiently.
More research is needed to determine what accounts for these changes. However, even if it turns out they don’t directly affect emotions or behavior, they could still have physical health benefits over time by promoting healthy sleep or reducing inflammatory responses, Lazar says.
In addition, practicing meditation regularly may people become less materialistic and more generous. A study published in Psychological Science suggests that people who go through an eight-week meditation course are better able to perceive and focus on sounds they would generally find distracting.
Psychological benefits of yoga:
Yoga provides several psychological benefits. The practice has been shown to reduce anxiety, depression, and stress and improve mood and self-esteem. In addition, yoga has been associated with increased positive emotions such as compassion, friendship, and love.
Yoga additionally improves cognitive functioning and brain structure in older adults. In addition, different styles of yoga have been shown to improve memory retention for students during a stressful exam period. Learn more about the psychological benefits.
Twenty benefits of yoga:
1. Improved Mood:
Yoga has been shown to improve mood, reduce depression and stress, and enhance positive emotions such as compassion, friendship, and love.
2. Improved Sleep Quality:
As a sleep aid, yoga works by lowering cortisol levels in the body which then reduces anxiety. This can help you attain more restful sleep. It also helps you get more of the deep (REM) stage of sleep that is important for memory consolidation and improved problem-solving skills.
People who practice yoga regularly enjoy a better quality of life when it comes to sleeping habits. While most workout routines can hinder your chances of getting quality sleep because they increase stress levels in the body (increasing cortisol), yoga does just the opposite, making it the perfect workout for insomniacs.
3. Better Memory:
Yoga can help you better retain information that you learn by increasing the deepness of your sleep and reducing cortisol levels in your body. This helps improve memory retention during times of stress.
4. Improved concentration:
According to a study published in the Indian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology, regular yoga practice improves attention spans in children who have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
The breathing exercises involved in yoga are believed to promote mental focus while also calming an agitated mind. Yoga is, therefore, one of the most effective ways to work on ADHD without using medication or other intrusive methods of treatment that only cause side effects.
5. Less anxiety:
Mood-boosting activities like yoga can help keep your anxiety at bay by working on the root cause of concern, that is, stress. The breathing exercises included in yoga help bring down your heart rate and make you more relaxed overall. Yoga also enhances the production of serotonin (motivation levels) which further helps to reduce anxiety.
6. Better social behavior:
People who have adopted a routine that includes yoga have better social skills because the deep breathing exercises involved in yoga calm the mind and reduce stress levels. This helps regulate emotional responses during stressful situations, which is essential for maintaining healthy relationships with others.
7. Improved immune system:
A study published in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine showed that yogis could raise their natural killer cell activity by up to 40%. These are essential in helping us fight diseases like cancer, diabetes, heart disease, low immunity, etc. Yoga can even reverse the adverse effects one faces due to stress hormones in our body, leading to poor health overall.
8 . Reduces Symptoms Of arthritis:
Yoga helps reduce arthritis symptoms such as pain and stiffness in the joints by promoting the relaxation of muscles and improving the range of motion. It also enhances immune function, which reduces inflammation-related symptoms like swelling and pain. Yoga is, therefore, one of the best ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle if you have arthritis.
9 . Helps prevent obesity:
Those who practice yoga regularly can hope to attain an average body weight because it regulates levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, blood sugar, insulin resistance, etc., thereby reducing your chances of developing diabetes or other weight-related problems. Even those struggling with long-term effects from being treated for cancer face virtually no risk of gaining weight after undertaking a regimen that includes yoga.
10. Improved sexual health:
Yoga can help improve sexual health by enhancing the flexibility of your joints which makes it easier to explore various positions in bed with ease. It also helps reduce stress, regulate hormone levels, and is a mood-booster that enhances libido naturally. This means that you will feel more willing to experience pleasure in all its forms, which will positively affect you even outside the bedroom.
Benefits of meditation:
Meditation is one of the best ways to improve your overall health and wellness. It has been scientifically proven to help enhance your immune system, prevent diseases like cancer, diabetes, heart disease, etc., control blood pressure and cholesterol levels, thereby reducing the risk of stroke or heart attack, lower levels of cortisol which helps fight stress and anxiety and also reduces pain and muscle stiffness. It even enables you to sleep better at night.
11 . Increased productivity:
Those who practice yoga regularly are known to have increased productivity levels because it enhances concentration levels by calming the mind and simplifying things for you. It also allows individuals to think more clearly and make decisions clearly, thereby increasing their chances of taking more productive actions in life, which bring about more tangible results.
12 . Improved quality of sleep:
Regular practitioners of yoga often wake up feeling refreshed and energized because they get enough sleep every night, leading to an enhanced overall quality of life that demonstrates itself in various ways such as improved energy levels throughout the day, empowerment, confidence, and motivation that gives people the Strength they need to pursue their goals in life with increased vigor.
13 . Reduced stress levels:
Yoga has been scientifically found to reduce the release of stress hormones, levels of cortisol in your body that help fight anxiety and depression. This enables individuals to handle situations with more ease which helps them maintain healthy relationships with others. Yoga also helps increase serotonin production, which eases symptoms like insomnia, fatigue, mental illness, etc., while calming the mind, so you sleep better at night.
14 . Aids in weight loss:
Yoga is often used as a form of exercise because it burns calories by increasing muscle mass and toning up muscles all over the body to give you a sleek physique that requires very little maintenance through expensive gym equipment alone.
More importantly, though, yoga has been proven to help reduce cortisol levels, stress hormones responsible for causing you to gain weight. This means it is doubly effective when used in conjunction with proper diet and lifestyle changes like following a nutritious diet plan and regular exercise schedule like running at least 30 minutes every day.
15 . Improved mental health:
Yoga helps you achieve emotional stability by imparting breathing techniques that help lower blood pressure and heart rate and suppress the nervous system, reducing feelings of anxiety or sadness.
It also heightens awareness levels in individuals, enabling them to focus better on all aspects of their lives, including their relationships with family, friends, and co-workers, because they can better understand each person’s perspective. Regular practitioners also show more empathy towards other people, making them feel happier and more content with their place in life.
16 . Gets you fit without using expensive equipment:
Yoga is a great way to build muscle, stay toned and achieve flexibility while saving money by avoiding the need for expensive gym memberships or equipment.
It can be done anywhere at any time, even when you travel abroad, and doesn’t require extreme exertion like many other forms of exercise do. Instead, all it takes is a mat and some dedicated time each day to reap its many benefits that enhance your quality of life far beyond everyday things like working outdo.
17 . Improved cardiovascular health:
Yoga has been proven to lower LDL cholesterol levels meaning it prevents atherosclerosis, a plaque build-up in the arteries that can cause a heart attack or stroke. It also reduces blood pressure levels by making the body more efficient at regulating fluids. As a result, your heart doesn’t have to work as hard to pump blood throughout your body, thereby reducing strain on the cardiovascular system and prolonging its lifespan.
18 . Get high without drugs:
Unlike recreational drugs like alcohol or cocaine that provide temporary Relief while harming you in the long run, yoga offers an elevated state of mind that is achieved naturally through breathing techniques and exercises designed specifically for this purpose.
These techniques allow individuals who practice yoga regularly to increase their focus levels. Hence, they can concentrate better on whatever they do both at work and in life while imparting increased mental clarity on top of it.
19 . Stay younger for longer:
Yoga helps you burn fat faster than other forms of exercise because it is done in conjunction with breathing exercises that cause your body to produce serotonin.
This hormone prevents muscle deterioration and aging over time. This results in individuals who regularly practice yoga looking and feeling far younger than their actual age, which can help them stay vibrant even into old age when most people start falling apart or become utterly dependent on others to take care of them.
20. Better posture:
Yoga is used by many celebrities to improve their posture by stretching key muscle groups like the back, which are often tense after spending all day sitting at work hunched over a screen. Slouching or hunching can lead to severe back problems that require extended stays in the hospital and the use of medical equipment like crutches or wheelchairs, something that yoga has been shown to help prevent.
21 . Improve Strength:
Yoga employs a variety of exercises designed to strengthen your body, including poses designed to stretch key muscle groups and increase their flexibility while also improving circulation, which ensures nutrient-rich blood reaches these muscles so they can work at optimal levels, thereby making you more robust over time.
22 . More Fulfilling Relationships:
The increased empathy from yoga makes it easier for practitioners to understand people from other walks of life, thus resulting in friends who feel more understood by you. This aspect also helps build better relationships with family members because individuals can relate more to them on a fundamental level while also maintaining the more profound understanding they gain through yoga.
23 . Pain Relief:
Just like meditation, yoga is used today by doctors in some parts of the world as an alternative treatment for chronic pain patients who have tried conventional methods without success. While these practices are not meant to replace traditional medicine or surgery, they offer Relief from pain so individuals can deal with it better and go about their day instead of being bedridden with no quality of life whatsoever.
24 . More Energy:
Yoga increases your metabolism faster than any other form of physical exercise. It gets your body moving just enough that you burn away most of the fat that’s already in your, thus releasing even more energy for you to use.
In addition, since it is a low-impact form of exercise, yoga doesn’t add stress to your body like intense physical training does, which prolongs the amount of time you have before feeling tired after working out.
25. Helps clear skin:
Yoga helps get rid of built-up toxins from your gut that can manifest as acne on your face and neck by forcing a sweat during hot yoga sessions, which open up pores so these toxins can be cleared away faster than they would through other forms of exercise or even just going about your daily routine.