Health Benefits of Yoga Yoga is one of those types of exercises that have both instant gratifications, as well as lasting results. If you know anything about the fitness or health world, you know that both of these things are very important. One of the best things about yoga, compared to other types of exercises, is that you can do it for as little or as long as you want and still see results. Other exercise options aren't like this, so people often give up hope or feel defeated when they don't see results right away. If you've never did Yoga, but you do want to know what the benefits of Yoga are, continue to read below for more information. Boosting Your Immunity Studies all around the world have been done on Yoga and the benefits, but one in particular done in a Norwegian study has found that Yoga actually changes gene expression and that helps to boost immunity on a cellular level. And another thing that took note of was that it didn't take long to make positive changes in your body. Yoga helps to boost immunity by creating overall good health and when you do the things that involve yoga like moving better and breathing better it helps all of your organs to function better. Fantastic! Lessen Migraines and Headaches The research was also done on a control group and a group of a migraine and headache sufferers. The people that had migraines and headaches did yoga for three months, after those three months they had migraines and headaches a lot less than they usually had before and the group that got no headaches and migraines - the control group, also had the same results, but with no headaches and migraines. To be honest though, migraines are one of those things that aren't fully understood, but researchers say that Yoga and the correlation between a headache and migraine sufferers probably has a lot to do with the fact that Yoga can and will decrease stressors and things like physical misalignment - two things that are known to cause migraines and headaches.
Better Sleeping Patterns
Researchers at Harvard also did a sleep study on Yoga and insomnia sufferers. People that did Yoga for eight weeks straight were said to have improved insomnia and sleep better through the night. Another similar study that was done had noted that people that did Yoga sessions twice a week also helped people with certain diseases like cancer, to sleep better and more soundly, when they felt fatigued after cancer treatments. This isn't to say Yoga can cure cancer, no one can say that for sure, but it can help overall with the after-effects of cancer treatments. One thing to remember is that sleep issues like insomnia or just small things like tossing and turning at night are a lot like anxiety - your head is spinning about certain things, maybe things that don't even really matter, and you are unable to relax. Well, breathing in yoga and mental exercises like what Yoga offers will slow your racing thoughts down and essentially help you to sleep better. It’s all so simple, and yet all so complex in the way that it works. Food Cravings If you are one of those people that crave a lot of types of foods during the week, from odd to normal everyday food, you also might want to think about Yoga. A Research study was done at the University Of Washington in which it found that people that do Yoga practice are also mindful eaters i.e.; they eat slower, with purpose, it’s not about stuffing your face full and eating to the brink of nausea. No. It’s about filling your stomach up with healthy nutrients that your body needs and being aware of both mental and emotional associations when you eat. To really understand this, watch a movie called The Peaceful Warrior. It’s one of my top favorite movies and it brings a lot of what was talked about in this article, to light, so you can really understand how Yoga and mindful eating works. Awareness will allow you to be aware of why you are eating or craving certain foods. If you have ever been stressed out, maybe you craved something fried; if you had a break up maybe you wanted ice cream, etc. Well, these are all emotions involved with foods and cravings. If you are more aware of why you are doing these things and wanting these foods, you can better fight the emotions involved with the situation. Also, Yoga teaches you breathing exercises and breathing while eating helps you to slow down and think
about those cravings before they take control. Again, so very simple and yet so very complex.