The subject of yoga – both an art and science is being practiced from time immemorial as a wonderful medium of healing and relaxation of the mind, body and soul. Here are some of the practical benefits of practicing yoga on a regular basis.

Throw away your sleeping pills. Fall off to a good night’s sleep easily. Sleep longer.  Face no more hassles of falling back to sleep even if you happen to wake up in the middle of the night!  A bedtime yoga routine is a brilliant idea for a peaceful and relaxing sleep. The benefits of practicing yoga can be seen in terms of alleviating insomnia, improving the quality of sleep and calming the mind and body to rest. A 2013 study showed the long term benefits of practicing yoga among the older adult group. As compared to the control group, the practitioner group portrayed better quality of life and sleep quality. So the practitioners of yoga reaped the benefits of practicing yoga well. Yoga asanas such as ‘yoga Nidra’, ‘reclined butterfly’, ‘child’s pose’ , ‘corpse pose,’ help let the muscles relax and remain ease which in turn aid in a peaceful night’s sleep.

Embrace your inner beauty and appreciate yourself for who you are. You may be surprised to find yoga studios not really having any mirrors! Yoga focuses on the inner beauty rather than outward appearance. Not having any mirrors allows you to focus on your inner being and not easily get distracted by how you look while performing a pose or how others around you look. As opposed to body shaming , the practice of yoga lets you become more aware of your body and mind and you begin to appreciate your body more than being critical of it. Thus yoga is very helpful in case of treating eating disorders and develops a positive body image and self-confidence. 

What we eat defines who we are.  The practice of yoga promotes mindfulness not just limited to the classroom but being applicable in other areas as well in daily life of the individual. As described by researchers, mindful eating relates to being nonjudgmental regarding the emotional as well as physical sensations as connected to eating habits. It has been found that the benefits of practicing yoga includes becoming more aware of how your body is feeling and this in turn positively impacts upon your eating habitats. 

Since yoga practitioners are mindful eaters, this in turn helps in avoiding becoming overweight and for those who are overweight , practicing yoga helps shed those extra pounds. With the regular practice of yoga, a positive relationship is established between food and eating on account of mindful eating.

Researches have revealed that those practicing yoga for a minimum of 30 minutes once per week and doing so continuously for a span of 4 years showed a tendency to gain lesser weight by the phase of middle adulthood. Weight loss was also seen amongst the obese population practicing yoga regularly. As compared to non practitioners of yoga, practitioners showed lower BMIs ( Body mass indexes). Such results can be attributed to the practice of mindful eating adopted through yoga practice.

The regular practice of yoga establishes a solid fitness regimen and improves the exercising capacity of the individual. A small group under research showed non practitioners of yoga post 8 weeks of regular practice portraying greater muscle strength and stamina, flexibility, resistance power and cardio-respiratory fitness.

One of the practical benefits of practising yoga is the following of the ‘early to bed and early to rise’ regimen as part of your daily habit which encourages a healthy way of living. Your body feels better prepared for the day and your mind feels absolutely refreshed and ready to welcome the day with enthusiasm and vigour. A great stress buster and a far better alternative to anti-depressant tablets , yoga offers a natural therapy for stress and anxiety related issues as well.

Consulting your doctor is highly recommended prior to starting a new exercise program.