The primary purpose of practicing yoga is to increase strength, harmony, and awareness of both the body and the mind. Yoga is a Sanskrit word derived from “Yuji,” which means yoke or union. It is one of the most ancient forms of profound integrative practice that has healing power over the mind, soul, and body. Yoga incorporates more than a hundred different types of postures, meditation, and breathing exercises that stretch various muscle groups throughout the body.

Yoga is more than a workout

Practicing yoga is not just about enhancing your physical fitness; it has a lot more to offer than that. Yoga shows and guides you through the way of entering a timeless and spaceless zone of energy, to subsequently connect with your divine inner self. In these critical times, when poor eating habits and hectic lifestyles lead us straight to a host of illnesses and even chronic diseases, it is about time to resort to restorative yoga practices.

Yoga can help to heal physical injuries and also ease the mind from past inflicted traumas. It is undoubtedly one of the most powerful forms of exercise that boost the overall welfare of the body as well as mindfulness. Both yoga and healing share the same goal. Yoga is a holistic approach that is known to heal you by making you whole. This happens when there is an absolute connection between your mind and body. It plays a key role in both helping your body relax and nurture body movements stimulating your spiritual, mental, and physical health to flourish.

Physical Benefits of Yoga

Practicing yoga diligently and regularly is known to have outstanding physical and mental benefits. The relaxation techniques adopted by yoga help in fighting chronic lower back pain, arthritis, CTS, headaches, and can even reduce blood pressure levels. Here are some of the other physical benefits as follows:

• Increases muscle toning and strength
• Maintains a balanced body metabolism
• Improves flexibility
• Maintains cardio and circulatory health
• Assists in weight reduction
• Revitalizes energy, vitality, and respiration

Mental Benefits of Yoga

Yoga also boosts your mental health in numerous ways. Here are some of them:

• Reduces stress
• Boosts concentration
• Assists in tackling depression
• Aids in establishing a proper sleep cycle and promotes sleep quality
• Keeps headaches away
• Promotes a positive outlook

Apart from these powerful physical and mental benefits that yoga has over you, there are a number of comprehensive benefits as well that help you stay healthy, fit, and most importantly happy. Listed are some of these benefits:

• It helps you to be in tune with the moment, playing a greater role in relieving anxiety.
• Aids in protecting your system against several diseases caused due to chronic inflammation.
• Minimizes stress and lowers the blood pressure levels to keep heart diseases at bay.
• Improves the overall quality of life by inculcating healthy and beneficial habits.
• Reduces and imparts relief from chronic pain.
• Stretching techniques in yoga improve body balance.
• Eliminates eating disorders and promotes mindful or healthy eating habits.

Yoga Poses and their Healing Techniques

Yoga and healing work hand in hand. Here are some of the healing techniques to practice in yoga that will help you establish a mind and body connection, fight trauma and depression, and make a better lifestyle for yourself:

Mountain Pose

It is a basic standing pose that serves as the foundation of every other standing posture. This pose helps in improving body posture, respiration, and boosting confidence.

Chair Pose

This pose can be performed anywhere. It packs an amazing technique that helps the lower body get a good workout and is beneficial for the traps and shoulders as well.

Tree Pose

It is a basic balancing pose that helps in easing out the anxiety. Not only does this pose facilitate removal of tension from the spine, back, and neck but it also relieves you of stress. This pose is a great stimulator of awareness and concentration as well.

Forward Fold Pose

Providing similar benefits as that of practicing inversion, this pose calms the brain, relieves you of spinal pain, encourages healthy blood circulation, and helps in maintaining body posture.

Cobra Pose

This pose assists in elevating your mood and decreasing tension from the lower back of your body. The pose helps in opening up the chest to promote blood and oxygen circulation throughout the body.

Warrior II Pose

It is a great pose for respiration and blood circulation. The pose is also known to tone and strengthen the legs, ankles, and shoulders. It stimulates the abdominal organs to help you feel more powerful from within.

Crow Pose

It is a great practice for both mental and physical strength. This pose instills patience and helps in overcoming fear. However, as this pose is not easy to perform it has the potential of inflicting injuries when not executed in the correct manner.

Dolphin Pose

This is a modified forearm stand technique that promotes physical strength alone.

Forearm Stand Pose

This pose reverses the blood flow in your body to shift your attention away from depression and anxiety and towards your breathing. It invokes a sense of contentment and calmness. This pose detoxifies the adrenals by increasing your blood flow to the head.

Corpse Pose

This is one of the most difficult poses to perform in yoga but facilitates ultimate relaxation. This pose is meant to be performed at the end of a practice session to instill physical and mental stillness. This pose is all about relaxation, acceptance, and peace.

The multitude of yoga techniques and levels make it an amazing and beneficial regular activity for people of all body types and ages. Yoga is all about exploring your limits and not settling for anything lesser than what your mind and body deserve. It facilitates tuning with your body and inner being. Yoga teaches you patience, relieving you of your physical limitations and mental trauma. It further improves your health conditions, enabling you to focus and concentrate, let go of your materialistic possessions, and feel at rest.

Indeed, yoga is your best friend that helps you heal without demanding anything at all. Accept yoga and practice regularly to see the benefits reflect on your overall condition and lifestyle.

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