How Yoga and Mediation Impacts Our Health
While yoga and meditation are widely viewed as a spiritual practice, it happens to be much more than that. In fact, yoga also happens to be an incredible form of physical exercise, whatever your fitness goal might be.
Withstanding its mental and progressive physical benefits, yoga is also an incredible means of injury prevention, thanks, in part, to its unique positions and postures involved with such a practice.
Ultimately, by finding ways to alleviate the mind, you in turn alleviate the body. Two ways to do so? Yoga and meditation.
Top Benefits of Yoga & Meditation
Whether you’re in it to sharpen the mind, become more aligned with your spiritual side, or improve your physical health, yoga and meditation boast incredible benefits no matter your goal.
Increased Mental Clarity
Withstanding the many physical benefits which we’ll get into shortly, yoga and meditation also do an incredible job at eliciting mental stillness and clarity. In fact, it’s why so many love yoga, in particular, over any other exercise methodology. In short, they teach your mind through challenging situations and breathing practices to quiet your mind, control your thoughts, and focus on the now.
Meditation is all but mandatory for our well-being and yoga just so happens to be an outlet for such.
Reduced Stress and Anxiety
Stress and anxiety often derive from or are exacerbated by physical tension. Logically, by relieving such physical tension through the practice of yoga and stretching, you inevitably relieve and reduce stress and anxiety. It’s the reason so many value yoga as a means of exercise; not only does it improve one’s physical health but also one’s mental health as well!
It goes without saying that meditation accomplishes much of the same.
Increased ROM and Flexibility
Because of the way each pose is executed, yoga poses inevitably increase flexibility and range of motion, even for the most immobile and sedentary of individuals. Such flexibility typically increases in regions of the inner thighs and pelvic area, though it is also seen in the hamstrings, shoulders, and other areas of the anatomy.
This is, in large part, accomplished by elongating the ligaments of the body and relaxing the muscles, ultimately training your body to function with improved movement patterns with ease.
Increased Strength and Recovery
Contrary to popular belief, yoga is an incredible way to increase strength, particularly of the core. While the general presumption of strength building is that it requires weight and resistance training, the opposite happens to be true. Not only does yoga increase strength, both of the muscles, ligaments, and bones, but it also improves recovery for those who are high performers outside of the yoga studio itself.
Just as important is mental recovery and there are no better means of mental recovery than that of meditation.
Improved Sex Life and Libido
Exercise, in general, is proven through research and evidence to increase natural testosterone levels and improve blood flow, thus increasing libido and your desire for sexual activity. Not to mention, the more physically active you are, the better you feel, the more confident you become, and the better you perform in the bedroom. Whether you look at the scientific literature or take into account the many anecdotal recounts, yoga and meditation inevitably increase libido and ultimately improve your sex life overall.
A Final Word
It’s undeniable the profound impact that both yoga and meditation have on your mental and physical health. If you’re not yet a frequent practitioner, hopefully, this article has shed some light on the importance of implementing it into your daily regimen.
Namaste!