The Benefits of Yoga – Strength, Balance, Flexibility, Health and Well-being

More and more athletes at all levels have begun to realize the benefits derived from daily or weekly Yoga sessions because the activity can do more than just strengthen and tone the body. Recent research shows it has a powerful effect on health – making it a perfect remedy for everything from heart disease to high blood pressure to anxiety and depression.For years, Yoga was considered a “fringe practice” embraced mostly by celebrities and "New Agers." Nowadays, Yoga studios are cropping up all over the country, and more and more people are attending studios. The activity is more than just performing specific exercises we see on TV or read about. It is a total mind-body workout that includes: posture training, breathing practices and control, deep relaxation, and meditation, which helps to transform health in dozens of ways.Here are some of the benefits outlined by Harvard Health Publication:

• Techniques help improve balance, flexibility, strength, and coordination

• It can help reduce the risk of heart disease

• It may be the perfect way to relieve migraines and fight osteoporosis, MS, IBS, or fibromyalgia

• It can undo harmful effects of stress

• It teaches relaxing breathing techniques one can practice ‘anywhere’ in order to stay calm and release tension

Actually, one study shows that yoga increases flexibility of blood vessels by 69%, and even helps to shrink blockages in arteries without the use of medications! Additionally, the inherent meditation component may even help to delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease (which is increasing at alarming rates) and fight age-related declines in memory, which we all should be thinking about as we age.