Thousands of years ago yoga postures were developed in India. The yogi's believed the lungs were the major "pump" of the body (versus the heart in western medicine) and incorporated breathing techniques with the postures. Today in western science we know that the spine is one of the most sophisticated and complex structures in our body. Almost every movement we make in some way affects the spine: that's how central our spine is to our over-all good health. The spinal cord is the main electrical conduit of the nervous system. The nervous system controls and regulates all the other systems in the body. The brain is the high-energy electrical transformer sending signals to the nervous system. Your thoughts are processed by the brain and transformed into electrical impulses that travel through your nerves to all parts of your body. It is all inter-connected. Yoga postures and techniques were designed to keep the spine supple and to work with mental tensions. Your mind and your body are intimately connected.
During the last decade yoga as therapy has become accepted into traditional and integrative medicine. Many research studies have found that yoga has a positive effect on various diseases and health conditions, low back pain and high blood pressure to name a couple. Yoga has been found to be very effective for restoring vitality and strength, especially for active baby boomers and seniors.
Yoga serves the body in the following way
* Relax and refresh after daily activities
* Enhance quality of life and improvement of relationships
* Increase attention and focus in children and adults
* Improve in personal and professional productivity
* Reduce stress and stress-related problems
* Stabilize mental and emotional challenges - depression, anxiety, etc.
* Alleviate a wide range of physical ailments - back pain, arthritis, etc.
* Help in the recovery from illness - post surgery, injuries etc.
* Maintain vitality from youth through old age
* Support women through many life changes, including PMS, pregnancy, and menopause
The goal in yoga is to restore the body-mind to its fundamental state of well-being, ease and alertness. Yoga can heal, strengthen, stretch and relax the skeletal, muscular, cardiovascular, digestive, glandular and nervous systems.
Some of the physical benefits of yoga include:
*Increased strength *Increased flexibility *Decreased pulse rate *Decreased blood pressure
*Decreased respiratory rate, increased respiratory efficiency
*Normalized or improved endocrine, gastrointestinal and excretory functions
*Improved posture *Improved joint range of motion *Normalized weight *Improved sleep
*Increased immunity *Decreased pain *Improved balance
Some of the mental and emotional benefits include:
*Improved cognitive function and concentration *Improved learning efficiency *Improved memory
*Stress relief *More energy *Ability to relax at will
Yoga postures are used as therapeutic tools to serve the major body systems; nervous, circulatory, digestive, respiratory, endocrine, muscular, and skeletal. Postures train the practitioner on stability, alignment, motor sequencing, strength and mental focus. There is coordinated action between muscles and joints creating muscle tone and control, mental focus and breath control. This maintenance of postural position and breath works with the autonomic nervous system. Postures can work on muscles, ligaments, joints, internal organs and smooth muscle glands. One of the many benefits of yoga is a feeling of relaxation.
Yoga is able to integrate new levels of functionality resulting in a more balanced and positive lifestyle.
. http://www.webmd.com/balance/the-health-benefits-of-yoga