What is Yoga?

Top 10 Reasons to Try Yoga

Give yoga a try and discover what it can do for your body and mind. A central premise in yoga is “everything is connected.” That’s clear when looking at the health and fitness benefits of yoga that have long been reported by practitioners and are now being confirmed by scientific research.

1. STRESS RELIEF: Yoga reduces the physical effects of stress on the body by encouraging

relaxation and lowering the levels of the stress hormone, cortisol. Related benefits include

lowering blood pressure and heart rate, improving digestion and boosting the immune

system, as well as easing symptoms of conditions such as anxiety, depression, fatigue,

asthma and insomnia.

2. PAIN RELIEF: Yoga can ease pain. Studies have demonstrated that practicing Yoga

asanas (postures), meditation or a combination of the two, reduced pain for people with

conditions such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, auto-immune diseases and hypertension as

well as arthritis, back and neck pain and other chronic conditions.

3. BETTER BREATHING: Yoga teaches people to take slower, deeper breaths. This helps to

improve lung function and trigger the body’s relaxation response.

4. FLEXIBILITY: Yoga helps to improve flexibility and mobility, increasing range of movement

and reducing aches and pains.

5. INCREASED STRENGTH: Yoga asanas (postures) use every muscle in the body, helping to

increase strength literally from head to toe. Yoga also helps to relieve muscular tension.

6. WEIGHT MANAGEMENT: Yoga (even less vigorous styles) can aid weight control efforts by

reducing the cortisol levels, as well as by burning excess calories and reducing stress. Yoga

also encourages healthy eating habits and provides a heightened sense of well being and

self-esteem.

7. IMPROVED CIRCULATION: Yoga helps to improve circulation and, as a result of various

poses, more efficiently moves oxygenated blood to the body’s cells.

8. CARDIOVASCULAR CONDITIONING: Even gentle yoga practice can provide cardiovascular

benefits by lowering resting heart rate, increasing endurance and improving oxygen

uptake during exercise.

9. BETTER BODY ALIGNMENT: Yoga helps to improve body alignment, resulting in better

posture and helping to relieve back, neck, joint and muscle problems.

10. FOCUS ON THE PRESENT: Yoga helps us to focus on the present, to become more aware

and to help create mind body health. It opens the way to improved coordination, reaction

time and memory.

For more information, please visit www.yogaalliance.org and www.yogadayusa.org.

Evansville Yoga Center - 1421 N Main St - Evansville IN - 812.746.0116