Just 15 minutes of daily yoga practice can change your brain chemistry and boost your mood! Yoga is much more than easy stretches and it is certainly not just for flexible people who can already wrap their legs around their hands. Yoga is about creating flexibility, strength, relaxation and balance in the body and mind through a series of movements, asanas and breathing exercises.
Some studies have reported that yoga can minimize the secretion of cortisol (the main stress hormone). As a result, it improves your overall health. No matter what you do or where you are, it’s pretty easy to sneak in just 15 minutes of yoga practice a day. Let’s take a look at some health benefits of daily yoga practice.
Health Benefits of Yoga
1. Weight loss
Wait! You don’t need to practice Hot Yoga or be able to bend your whole body upside down to lose weight! A gentle daily yoga practice can help fuel the metabolic system and burn fat, leading to weight loss. Everyday yoga can even help you restore hormonal balance in your body, which can minimize your body weight.
2. Removes back pain
If you suffer from back pain, yoga may be exactly what the doctor prescribed. With yoga for back pain, you can not only eliminate back pain, but also treat the stress that comes with it. Regular yoga practice, even for a few minutes, can help you get to know your body better. You can use this awareness to put yourself in alignment and balance.
3. Reduces stress
There are many workplaces that now offer lunchtime yoga sessions, as yoga has been shown to be an excellent stress reliever. Yoga for anxiety and stress mainly consists of three elements, namely poses, breathing and meditation. Various studies have reported that people who practice the three elements daily are better able to regulate their variability in heart rate. Simply put, the lower heart rate gives the body the ability to respond to stress with more flexibility.
4. Increase your energy
A few minutes of yoga practice a day will provide that much needed energy in our busy lives, keeping us cool longer. Doing yoga daily will wake up the main energy centers called chakras in your body. You can also do yoga for depression and increase the energy level in your body.
5. Improves strength, flexibility and posture
15 minutes of yoga a day will help tone and stretch the muscles in your body. Popular poses such as the plank will work simultaneously on strengthening the legs, arms, abs and shoulders. You don’t have to be super flexible to do yoga. The best part of yoga is that it can be practiced at all skill levels. Daily yoga practice helps you improve your posture, making you sit more upright at your desk and walk higher.
A word of advice: If you are unable to practice yoga every day, it is best to join a fitness center where you can do yoga under the guidance of expert yogis.
