Why practice yoga?

25 Reasons to Practice Yoga Today – by Char Tara Albert

1. Flexibility: An obvious benefit of yoga is improved flexibility. Continued practice causes a gradual loosening of excess muscle tension and with that old aches and pains tend to lessen. Tight hips for instance can strain the knee joint because the thighs and shinbones become misaligned. Rigid hamstrings (back of legs) cause flattening in the lumbar spine increasing the risk of spinal compression and pain.  Poor posture and inflexibility in the muscles and connective tissue (ex: fascia and ligaments) intensifies stress, strain and fatigue throughout the whole body.
2. Posture: When the head is balanced over an erect spine, it reduces the work of the neck and back muscles. Slumping causes the body to compensate by flattening the normal inward curves in the neck and lower back.
3. Strength: Strong muscles maintain the posture in the body provided this is balanced with knowledge of posture. Aligned posture and flexibility reduce the development of arthritis.
4. Joint Health: In a properly balanced yoga class, all the joints are moved through their full range of motion. Areas of cartilage that aren’t normally used are squeezed and soaked much like a sponge. Old fluids are squeezed out and fresh nutrients are soaked up. Without this preventative medicine, neglected areas of cartilage tend to wear out, exposing underlying bone like worn-out brake pads.
5. Feed Your Spine: Spinal disks are the shock absorbers between the vertebrae. These disks crave nutrients. A fresh supply of nutrients is supplied by taking the spine through its entire range of motion. The practice of backbends, forward bends, twists etc. feed the spine. To keep your spine supple and prevent herniated disks and compressed nerves, practice yoga poses!
6. Bone Health: Weight-bearing exercises strengthen bones and ward off osteoporosis. All weight-bearing postures will support bone health. Poses such as Downward and Upward-Facing Dog strengthen the arm bones and the legs. Yoga’s ability to lower levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, may also keep more calcium in the bones.
7. Circulation Upgrade: A yoga workout gets the blood & flowing. Additionally, relaxation training assists peripheral circulation especially in the hands and feet. More oxygen is delivered to your cells improving overall function of the entire body including the organs and endocrine glands. Venous blood from the internal organs gets wrung out via twisting poses and this allows oxygenated blood to flow back into the organ once the twist is released. Inversions such as Shoulderstand, Handstand and Headstand encourage venous blood from the legs and pelvis to return to the heart to be cleansed and energized with oxygen. This is especially useful if someone has kidney problems or suffers from swelling in the legs. Yoga practice boost hemoglobin and red blood cell levels thus carrying oxygen to all the tissues. Yoga practice thins the blood by making platelets less sticky and by cutting clot-promoting protein levels in the blood. Reducing blood clots reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
8. Lymph Cleanse: Yoga practice involves the voluntary contracting and stretching of muscles while breathing deeply which gently presses into the internal organs. This increases the drainage of lymph, an immune cell rich fluid. Thus, yoga supports the lymphatic system to cleanse itself, better fight infection, destroy cancer cells and dispose of toxic waste products that build up in the cells due to normal metabolism.
9. Heart Capacity: Vigorous yoga forms get the heart rate into the aerobic range thus lowering the risk of heart attack and can even relieve depression. Even yoga practiced with less intensity (variable heart rate) improves cardiovascular conditioning, lowering the resting heart rate, increasing endurance and can even improve the maximum uptake of oxygen during exercise.
10. Blood Pressure Balance: The practice of Savasana (corpse pose) compared to simply lying on the couch has been associated with a 26-point drop in systolic blood pressure and a 15-point drop in diastolic pressure as reported in a 3-month study in The Lancet.
11. Worry Relief: Yoga practice lowers cortisol levels. Cortisol rises to give us, strength to meet challenges and this temporarily boosts immune function. However, if this state becomes chronic it can lead to depression, memory loss, osteoporosis, high blood pressure, over eating and insulin resistance.
12. Happy Time: Regular yoga practice tends to improve depression while increasing serotonin levels resulting in greater levels of happiness and immune function.
13. Weight Matters: Yoga seems to inspire more conscious eating. Eating less and moving more stimulates the metabolism naturally for better weight maintenance.
14. Metabolic Balance: Yoga activity lowers blood sugar and bad cholesterol (LDL) while boosting good cholesterol (HDL). It works in several ways: by lowering cortisol and adrenaline levels, encouraging weight loss and improving sensitivity to the effects of insulin. With reduced sugar levels you decrease the risk of diabetic complications such as heart attack, kidney failure and blindness.
15. Brain Waves: Studies show that yoga practice improves concentration, coordination, reaction time, memory and even IQ scores.
16. Relax Naturally: By slowing the breath and focusing on the immediate environment, the sympathetic nervous system (fight and or flight response) relaxes and the parasympathetic nervous system becomes dominant (rest and relaxation response). The later is restorative and calming; it lowers breathing and heart rates, lowers blood pressure and increases blood flow to the intestines and reproductive organs.
17. Being Rooted: Proprioception is the ability to feel what your body is doing in time and space and this is improved with regular yoga practice.  Those with postural problems or dysfunctional movement patterns generally have poor proprioception and this tends to increase back pain and knee imbalances.  With yoga, balance improves, a real boon for the elderly possibly increasing the time they can remain independent.
18. Conscious Control: Unconscious habits of over-straining leads to chronic tension, muscle fatigue and soreness in the wrists, arms, shoulders, neck and face which can also worsen your mood. The release of long-held tensions especially in the neck, face, tongue and eyes improves self-image and boosts confidence.
19. Serenity Break: Too much stimulation taxes the nervous system. Yoga provides natural relief from the busy modern life. Careful, methodical movements turn the senses inward toward self reflection giving the brain time to integrate.
20. Immune Vitality: Yoga and especially meditation boost the immune system.
21. Breathing Boon: Practitioners tend to take fewer breaths yet with a greater volume of air. This is most efficient, expanding lung capacity and calming the heart. A 1998 study published in The Lancet taught a yogic technique known as “complete breathing” to people with lung problems due to congestive heart failure. After one month, their average respiratory rate decreased from 13.4 breaths per minute to 7.6. Meanwhile, their exercise capacity increased significantly, as did the oxygen saturation of their blood. Yogic breathing is practiced through the nose which humidifies the air removing pollen, dirt and other pollutants.
22. Detox Daily: Twisting poses are beneficial in moving water through the internal organs and removing waste products.
23. Inner Peace: Yoga practice induces alpha brain waves associated with a light and restorative dream wave state. Yoga is a perfect remedy to offset anger, regret, fear and frustration all of which sap your energy.
24. Pain Release: Yoga can ease pain which improves mood and increases the desire to be active.  A happy mood and an active life can reduce need for pain medications.
25. Group Support: A great yoga teacher and a supportive group of fellow practitioners generate positive energy.  As the commitment to practice grows three things are created: You are involved in your own care, you realize you can improve your own health and seeing this boosts self-esteem and confidence!