Greetings, my dear readers. Yoga has long been popular among Hollywood stars. Madonna, Eva Mendes, Lady Gaga, Jennifer Aniston and many others are engaged in it. What is the secret of its popularity and what problems does it help to solve? It turns out that this type physical activity not only improves overall well-being. It turns out that yoga for weight loss is effective, reviews of many stars confirm this.

Madonna claims that gymnastics helps her maintain weight. Improves health and makes you feel good. Let's figure out together what kind of yoga will really help you lose weight. And also get acquainted with real reviews and before and after photos.

I must say right away that there are a lot of varieties of yoga. It is characterized by a uniform and balanced load distribution. In addition, you will be more enduring, increase flexibility and improve coordination of movements. Regular classes of such gymnastics allow you to burn fat and develop muscles.

The complex load on the body during yoga is different from aerobic exercise. In this type of exercise, breathing technique is very important. It allows you to speed up the metabolism in tissues. Let's say kundalini yoga involves rhythmic breathing, which is aimed at burning calories.

Lera: I am a big fan of yoga, I practice 2 times a week. Adjusted the diet - 1500 kcal per day. In the first week of classes I threw off - 1.5 kg. Now the plumb line is 54.3 kg. She also became more cheerful))

Veronica: I needed yoga to improve my health along the way to tighten my muscles. Friends noted that I became slimmer, but the same kilograms on the scales ((After 6 months of training, the weight remained the same. In principle, the instructor told me that I needed a balanced diet. But so far I can’t set myself up to eat differently

Milena: I have been practicing yoga for almost two years, without it I don’t understand myself anymore. Improved posture, endurance, changed attitude to life. become more resilient to stressful situations. It is very important to choose the right coach.

Valyushka: where did you get the idea that yoga can help you lose weight? I have been doing it for over 3 years, simply because I like it. I haven’t lost weight at all, I go to Iyengar and Bikram yoga.

Marina: I don’t know ... everything has tightened up for me in two months. I have become more flexible, energy is in full swing. I wouldn't say that I lost a lot of weight. but the body is leaner

Christina: I have been doing Iyengar for three years. I just go because I like it. Became more organized + changed the approach to food. I choose products more carefully, I don’t eat anything.

Undeniable. Physical activity brings many benefits. This can be confirmed by anyone who has mobilized for a regular movement. I also confirm this. I spend most of the day sitting, so when I can move more I feel much better.

Yoga and its health benefits

I have already written to you about the benefits of walking and cycling. Today is the time for something different yoga. I personally have been training regularly for several months and I admit that my level is still basic, but I notice many benefits. And today we will talk about these benefits. Not all of them are based on mine. personal experience, due to the fact that I have been doing yoga for a relatively short time, but they are all supported by research. I have to admit that I didn't know much about it before.

The Essence of Yoga

Yoga is a very old philosophy because it is about 5000 years old. Although it is becoming more and more popular, it also causes a lot of controversy because some associate it with religions such as Buddhism or Hinduism. This is wrong. The most popular styles of yoga such as Hatha, Vinyasa or Ashtanga do not have much in common with a particular religion. The focus is on the work of asanas or certain positions of the body, which, in combination with breathing and concentration, cause real effects for good health. What are these effects? You will find out in this article.

Benefits of yoga practice

1. Yoga has a positive effect on the body and physical state- strengthens and lengthens muscles, increases flexibility, increases muscle mass, increases physical endurance and improves the figure. It develops the body evenly, forcing all muscle groups to work.

2. Causes a delay in the aging process and affects the fact that we look younger

3. Yoga Improves Body Posture – Asana practice forces you to maintain a lean posture, which prevents you from slouching (one of the first benefits I noticed when I started exercising).

Yoga and the spine

4. The practice of yoga has a positive effect on the muscles of the spine - due to the fact that it increases the strength of the muscles and tendons and makes the muscles more stretched and flexible. The practice of asanas improves the blood supply to the spine and the entire back and strengthens nervous system thereby preventing inflammation of the nerves.

5. Eliminates pain in the back, neck and shoulders, knees.

6. Yoga Strengthens Joints and Bones - Asanas strengthen cartilage and we are less prone to fractures and osteoporosis, as well as diseases such as arthritis.

7. Correcting Defects in Posture - Yoga Practice Forms a Habit correct posture, which can correct or prevent some postural defects.

Yoga and hormonal balance

8. Regulates hormonal balance - thanks to the chosen positions, methods of breathing and relaxation, the endocrine glands - ovaries, adrenals, thyroid and pituitary - are stimulated to work.

9. Regulates blood pressure - regular practice, due to a better blood supply and oxygen supply to the body, lowers blood pressure and maintains it at a normal level

10. Yoga benefits for the heart - Many yoga positions are just as good for the heart as cardio. Yoga classes, like cycling, brisk walking or endurance exercise, reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke and atherosclerosis, diabetes and obesity.

11. Practicing yoga helps treat cardiac arrhythmias - regular yoga practice reduces the amount of heart palpitations in people with arrhythmias

12. Yoga relieves headaches - especially those caused by tension, since the practice of asanas relieves tension in the muscles, promotes deep breathing and reduces stress.

Yoga for the respiratory tract

13. Protects against sinusitis, especially reverse positions help clear the upper airways and improve functioning respiratory system, increase the supply of oxygenated blood to the brain cells and increase the body's resistance, making us less susceptible to sinusitis.

14. Yoga practices improve performance digestive system and thus reduce the risk of developing gastrointestinal diseases.

15. Yoga speeds up metabolism - regular practice stimulates internal organs which reduces appetite and facilitates weight control.

16. The practice of yoga asanas causes changes in the biochemical profile - antioxidants appear in the blood, substances that counteract depression; levels of cholesterol, glucose, sodium, and triglycerides decrease, and levels of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) increase. It is the compound responsible for fatty acid biosynthesis and energy storage. The work of the endocrine system is optimized.

yoga strengthens immunity

17. Increases the body's resistance. Studies conducted by Norwegians have shown that yoga practice affects the genes and the immune system - the level of immunity at the cellular level increases as early as 2 hours after the start of the exercise. The study found that regular yoga practice altered the expression of 111 genes in immune cells.

18. Yoga can be a cure for chronic pain. Research by scientists from the National Institutes of Health shows that chronic pain causes changes in the brain, and more specifically in the gray matter. Reduced gray matter can lead to memory problems, emotional problems, or cognitive impairment. In people who practice yoga, the amount of gray matter in the brain increases, which increases pain tolerance and alleviates the effects of changes caused by chronic pain.

19. Increases resistance to stress - due to the fact that yoga calms the nervous system and restores the body. The result of this is the restoration of vitality, the improvement of the psychophysical state and the increase in emotional stability.

Yoga and mental health

20. Helps to Relax - Muscle relaxation and free breathing during exercise allows you to enter a state of complete relaxation. It releases you from tension and brings peace.

21. Yoga allows you to gain peace of mind - thanks to the exercises it is easier to distance yourself from the outside world, calm down, better cope with aggression, reduce stress, cope with insomnia.

22. The practice of yoga increases concentration - by regularly practicing yoga, the blood supply to the brain improves, the degree of attention and concentration, the better we remember and learn faster, the depth of our perception increases.

23. Strengthens the nervous system - improves coordination of movements and reflexes.

24. Helps with neurosis - the practice of asanas and breathing exercises(Pranayama) calms the nervous system, thereby alleviating the symptoms of neurosis.

25. Yoga helps fight depression - the practice of asanas helps to achieve inner balance, get rid of fears and achieve greater calmness. Studies show that after yoga, the bioelectrical activity of the brain changes. Alpha waves are responsible for relaxation and theta waves are responsible for dreams and emotions. Research also shows that yoga exercises increase GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) levels by 27%, which reduces tension and leads to relaxation. Many people, especially those with depression, have low levels of this acid. Low levels of this acid also increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.

26. Practice makes you get taller - although you cannot grow, doing the asana makes you keep your body lean. There is no question of stoop. It is known that a slender person automatically appears taller. According to the study, you can get an extra centimeter to your height 🙂

yoga for women

27. Yoga in women helps with irregular periods - some asanas (especially twist positions) provide fresh blood to the uterus and ovaries, and back bends stimulate the ovaries.

28. Reduces menstrual cramps - Certain asanas stretch and relax the pelvis and relax the abdominal organs, relieving menstrual cramps.

29. Practicing yoga before conception reduces the risk of miscarriage - thanks to asanas that control premature uterine contractions and strengthen muscles.

Yoga and pregnancy

30. Yoga is used by pregnant women - many asanas done during pregnancy affect mother and baby.

a) back bend, the pressure of the fetus on the abdomen is evenly distributed, preventing the formation of stretch marks, they also make the diaphragm elastic and activate the heart, while adding energy;
b) sitting positions strengthen the pelvic joints and relax the muscles,
standing positions strengthen the joints of the hips, knees, ankles and spine
c) the practice of yoga increases the efficiency of the heart, ensuring good blood circulation and oxygen supply to the pelvis;
d) Positions reversed from pranayama improve blood circulation in both mother and child, they also relieve the pressure of the abdominal organs on the lungs. Inverted positions also stimulate the liver and ovaries.
e) twisting asana and asana with a concave back are useful for improving kidney function and reducing the risk of infection;
f) bends cause blood supply to the pancreas and improve its functioning in a woman and a child;
g) the practice of yoga reduces tension in lumbar the spine, which is a consequence of an increase in the body weight of the mother and the embryo;
g) the practice of asanas increases the flexibility of the pelvis, leading to an easier process of childbirth;
h) yoga practice teaches correct breathing and relaxes.

yoga and cancer

31. Helps fight breast cancer - this is due to the interaction of the body and mind. The studies were conducted in a group of 44 women who are undergoing cancer treatment or shortly after its completion. The results showed that after 10 weeks of yoga sessions containing gentle exercises, the level of depression decreased by half compared with the same group of sick women who did not practice yoga. The feeling of calmness and sense of life has also improved. Similar results were obtained by studies of another group of women. After 8 weeks, the women's health improved, and they were convinced that they could beat the disease. Activation of the NF-kB protein, called a marker of stress in the body, was also reduced.

32. Helps children with autism – yoga has a positive effect on mental tension and stress among children as well. Research has shown that daily activities yoga among autistic children helped reduce hyperactivity, aggression and retardation.

33. Yoga affects the change in the perception of oneself - thanks to the practice of yoga, the consciousness of one's body and its abilities increase, the mood and perception of a person improve. We begin to accept ourselves more.

The list of yoga benefits speaks for itself. Is yoga worth it? I think definitely yes. Of course, it happens that yoga, instead of helping, can be harmful, especially if the exercises are not performed correctly or we have any medical problems. Therefore, at the beginning of your practice, it is worth doing exercises under the guidance of an experienced teacher.

Hello everyone!

Many people think about yoga, but never put their ideas into practice. They don’t know which direction of yoga to choose, they can’t find a good instructor, they can’t find time for classes, or they’re just too lazy.

In this article, we will look at what benefits you will get from yoga once you start the practice. What effect yoga has on the soul, body and mind.

After yoga came to the Western world and began to gain more and more followers, scientists began to study how yoga affects the physical and psycho-emotional state of a person. The data in this article is based entirely on scientific research.

So let's go.

YOGA IMPROVES FLEXIBILITY

The development of flexibility is one of the first and quickly felt effects of yoga. During first class, many people can't even reach their toes, let alone bend back. But with regular practice, the impossible becomes possible, and practitioners perform exercises that they could not even dream of before.

YOGA DEVELOPS MUSCLES

Strong muscles are much more than beautiful body. They help prevent diseases such as arthritis, back pain, improve metabolism in the body. In addition, doing yoga, you develop strength in balance with flexibility.

YOGA IMPROVES POSTURE

Poor posture leads to many health problems. Fatigue, drowsiness, headaches and back pain, decreased performance, curvature of the spine, poor digestion - this is not a complete list of consequences. Therefore, it is very important that yoga helps to improve posture.

YOGA IMPROVES JOINTS

At each yoga class, you work out absolutely all the joints of the body, improving their elasticity and preventing diseases such as arthritis, arthrosis and inflammation of the joints.

YOGA STRENGTHENS THE SPINE

In yoga, special attention is paid to working with the spine. It is not for nothing that in Eastern culture it is called the “Trunk of Life”. Backbends, forward bends, twists contribute to the supply of nutrients to the spine and the development of its flexibility.

YOGA STRENGTHENS BONES

Exercises using own weight bodies strengthen bones and prevent osteoporosis. This principle is applied in many yoga postures.

YOGA IMPROVES BLOOD CIRCULATION

Yoga exercises work in such a way that when you perform twisting asanas, old blood is squeezed out of the internal organs and joints, and when you exit the pose, new oxygen-rich blood flows to them. Inverted postures promote blood flow from the legs and pelvis to the lungs, where it is also enriched with oxygen.

Yoga helps increase hemoglobin levels and increases the number of white blood cells that deliver oxygen to tissues, which helps thin the blood. This reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

YOGA STRENGTHENS THE LYMPHATIC SYSTEM

The contraction and stretching of muscles during asanas promotes the movement of lymph in the body (a clear, viscous fluid rich in immune cells). This allows lymphatic system fight infections better, destroy cancer cells, and remove toxic waste from cells.

YOGA IMPROVES CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM

Performing asanas, as well as aerobic exercise, significantly reduces the risk of heart disease and helps to get rid of depression. Studies have shown that yoga practice stabilizes the heart at rest, improves stamina, and promotes oxygen to the internal organs.

YOGA NORMALIZES PRESSURE

Dr. Debbie Cohen of the University of Pennsylvania studied the effects of yoga on blood pressure in 58 volunteers aged 38 to 62.

The participants were divided into 3 groups. Members of the first focused on diets, weight loss and hiking. The second group of volunteers did yoga, and the third group was given a diet.

As a result, the second group recorded a more significant decrease in blood pressure than the first - from 133/80 to 130/77. But the results of the participants in the third group, contrary to expectations, did not differ too much from the results of the second group.

YOGA REGULATES THE ADRENAL FUNCTION

Yoga helps lower cortisol levels, a hormone produced by the adrenal cortex. It is a stress hormone and with any physical or psychological stress, its level rises, which allows you to concentrate, increase attention. All organs in response to elevated level cortisol begin to work in an enhanced, emergency mode. People with elevated hormone levels have excess weight and love all the stress to seize something tasty.

YOGA MAKES A PERSON HAPPY

Studies have proven that yoga helps to get rid of depression. When performing asanas, the level of serotonin (hormone of happiness) increases significantly, which contributes to good mood and improving overall well-being.

YOGA REDUCES WEIGHT

We often hear: if you want to lose weight, eat less, move more. Yoga helps shape healthy lifestyle life without imposing rules and counting calories.

The practice of yoga works on the physical and emotional planes. Performing asanas is movement. And the stabilization of the emotional state of mind relieves overeating and contributes to the choice of healthier food.

YOGA REDUCES BLOOD SUGAR

Yoga lowers blood sugar and bad cholesterol and raises good cholesterol. Studies have shown that this occurs as a result of a decrease in cortisol and adrenaline levels, which in turn contributes to weight loss and improved sensitivity to the action of insulin.

YOGA IMPROVES CONCENTRATION

One of the main components of yoga is concentration on the present. Research has revealed that regular classes yoga improves coordination, reaction, and even IQ scores. People who practice meditation show the ability to solve problems faster, remember information better, and recall events in memory. Perhaps this is due to the fact that they are not weighed down by an endless stream of extraneous thoughts.

YOGA HELPS YOU RELAX

Yoga helps to calm down, slow down breathing and focus attention on the present, shifting the balance from the sympathetic nervous system to the parasympathetic. It promotes recuperation, reduces the frequency heart rate, lowers blood pressure, increases blood circulation in the digestive and reproductive systems and has a relaxing effect.

YOGA IMPROVES BALANCE AND COORDINATION OF MOVEMENTS

With regular yoga practice, the ability to feel your body and its location in space increases and balance improves. With good balance, you will be less likely to stumble and fall. For older people, this is especially important, as they get more independence, they can take care of themselves.

YOGA DEVELOPS BODY CONTROL

Some advanced yogis have the ability to completely control their body, which confuses scientists. Stories are known of yogis who could hibernate, go without food and water for a long time, stop their heart, fall asleep in one minute. By doing yoga, you too can learn how to relax and fall asleep when you're struggling with insomnia, or mentally increase blood flow to your pelvis when you're trying to get pregnant.

You can read more about the possibilities of yogis in the article "Incredible abilities of yogis".

YOGA RELIEVES MUSCLE TENSION

Have you ever noticed that you hold the phone or the steering wheel in a stranglehold? Or wrinkle your forehead when you think or work?

These unconscious habits lead to chronic tension, muscle fatigue, pain in the joints, arms, wrists, shoulders, neck and face. As you practice yoga, you begin to notice which parts of your body are tense and learn to relax those muscles.

YOGA SOOTHES

Rhythm modern life makes us constantly in motion, our brain works 24 hours a day even during sleep. Naturally, our nervous system is constantly tense. Yoga helps to calm down and relax. Restorative practices such as shavasana (dead body posture), pranayama (breathing practices) and meditation allow the nervous system to rest. And as a result, they improve sleep and reduce susceptibility to stress.

YOGA IMPROVES THE IMMUNE SYSTEM

Asanas and pranayama improve performance immune system, although scientists are inclined to believe that meditation brings the maximum benefit to immunity. Meditation stimulates the immune system when necessary: ​​it increases the level of antibodies during vaccination, or vice versa reduces the function of the immune system when it is required, for example, to reduce too high immunity protection, in autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis and others.

YOGA INCREASES LUNG CAPACITY

Yogis try to take fewer breaths, but deeper ones, which helps to calm the nervous system and is more efficient breathing. Moreover, it helps to improve lung function and provide more oxygen to the blood.

YOGA IMPROVES INTESTINAL FUNCTION

Such gastrointestinal diseases, like ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, can be complicated by stress.

Yoga, like other physical activity, relieves constipation and theoretically reduces the risk of bowel cancer, because it helps food move faster in the intestines. Twisting postures are said to be particularly helpful in relieving constipation.

YOGA GIVES PEACE IN THE SOUL

Yoga helps to calm the ever-wandering mind, relieve feelings of anxiety, reduce susceptibility to stress, soften such overwhelming feelings as fear, anger, irritation, regret, the result of which is again stress.

Stress, in turn, is the cause of various health problems, ranging from migraines and insomnia to high blood pressure, multiple sclerosis, eczema, and heart attacks. Thus, be calm and live happily ever after.

YOGA INCREASES SELF-ESTEEM

Many people suffer from too low self-esteem. If you solve this problem with drugs, overeating, hard work, or promiscuous sex, you will pay for it with your physical and mental health. If you practice yoga, gradually your attitude towards yourself and others will begin to change, you will begin to experience feelings of gratitude, compassion and forgiveness, you will discover yourself from a completely different side, and you will also feel like a part of something Bigger.

YOGA RELIEVES PAIN

Yoga can help relieve pain. Asanas and meditation have been shown to reduce pain in people with arthritis, back pain, fibromyalgia, carpal tunnel syndrome, and other chronic conditions, according to a number of studies.

YOGA GIVES POWER

Yoga will change your life! By practicing yoga, you will soon realize that without making any effort, you will become better fed, feel more energetic, think positively, cope with life's difficulties more easily, and even be able to get rid of bad habits that have haunted you for years.

WITH YOGA NO MEDICATION IS NEEDED

If your medicine cabinet is more like a pharmacy, it's time to take up yoga. A study of people with asthma, high blood pressure, and diabetes found that yoga helped them reduce their medication dosages, and in some cases stop taking them completely. Can't save money for yoga, maybe cut down on pills?

YOGA TEACHES TO LOVE

Perhaps love cannot overcome all obstacles, but it definitely helps in the treatment of diseases. By giving love to your family, friends, and community, you are helping yourself first. With regular yoga practice, you will become friendlier, kinder and calmer. In addition, yoga philosophy advocates telling the truth and taking only what you really need.

YOGA CLEANSES THE BODY

Yoga also includes cleansing practices - kriyas. Exists a large number of various techniques, ranging from quick breathing exercises to cleansing internal organs, such as the intestines.

YOGA TEACHES TO HELP YOURSELF THROUGH HELPING OTHERS

Karma yoga (helping others) is inseparable from yoga philosophy. By helping others, you help yourself. Helping others gives your life a new meaning, and your own problems seem less terrible when you see what others have to face.

YOGA WILL HELP YOU BECOME THE OWNER OF LIFE

Most people who are treated with traditional medicine passively receive help from doctors. By practicing yoga, you take responsibility for your life into your own hands. Yoga gives you the tool to change and you can feel better from the start of your practice.

EVERYTHING IS INTERCONNECTED

Surely, reading all these points about the benefits of yoga, you noticed that one follows from the other. Change your posture and you will change your breathing. Change your breathing and you change your nervous system. This is one of the most important yoga lessons. Everything is interconnected.

Starting to practice yoga, you will understand that not only your health and appearance will change, your perception of yourself and the world around you will also change. Most likely, more conscious and interesting people will appear in your environment. New goals and plans, new hobbies and interests will appear, the very course of life will change.

Start practicing yoga as soon as possible and get all 33 benefits.

With sincere sympathy, Olesya.

Yoga as a sport has emerged relatively recently, but has already become one of the most fashionable hobbies. A high percentage of practitioners attend yoga classes for the sake of exercise(in yoga practice - "asanas"), not showing interest in the very essence of yoga. The fact is that the benefits of yoga are not only in the improvement of the body, but also in spiritual development. This is confirmed by long-term studies of its effect on the human body. In the East, it's like religion (way of life, perception of the world, etc.). But there are those who treat yoga with skepticism, comparing it with sectarian teachings. Perhaps the facts given in this article will be able to push someone to study ancient science and help change their attitude towards it. What to expect from regular classes? How is it different from a regular workout in the gym? What benefits for the body and soul will it bring? What harm is yoga possible for the body or is it still not there?

See for yourself.

What is and where

Start your acquaintance with yoga by studying the history of its origin. In no source can we find a specific date when a person first began to preach yoga. This definitely happened before our era (the sacred texts indicate the 1500s). At the same time, for the first time, meditative practices are mentioned, the main postulates are touched upon and people are depicted sitting in the lotus position.

Today, any instructor will tell you that yoga is a combination of static physical exercises and spiritual practices such as meditation. What else do we know? Originated in India. No specifics ... All knowledge must be obtained by yourself! Exercises - asanas - have a huge impact on the emotional state of a person, make the body strong, and the body is resistant to a variety of diseases, and even prolong life.

There are several directions in yoga:, bikram yoga (a less well-known direction in Russia, gradually gaining popularity), using hammocks,. Separately, Pilates can be distinguished - a system of physical exercises that contribute to the restoration of the body after illnesses and operations, suitable for regular practice at any age (less dynamic, requiring no special training). In previous articles, recommendations have already been given on how to choose a class for classes. Main principle- trial method.

People who once fell ill with yoga are well aware that in order to study it, it is necessary to go through several stages. Ashtanga has 8 steps:

1. Yama - ethical rules that must be observed every day. At this stage, it is important to understand how real masters live. Pit is equated with our Christian commandments: “do not steal”, “do not kill”, etc. Basically, this is non-harm, non-appropriation of someone else's and abstinence (from promiscuity, bad habits, etc.).
2. Niyama is spiritual development (as well as worship of the gods).
3. Asanas - physical aspect - regular exercise.
4. Pranayama - work with breathing, achieving an optimal state with the help of breathing (fighting stress, nervousness, fears, etc.).
5. Pratyahara - awareness, concentration, the ability to look deep into oneself.
6. Dharana - complete abstraction from the outside world, increased concentration, attention to one point.
7. Dhyana is a meditative, altered state of mind (the ability to completely disconnect from the outside world in order to achieve enlightenment - the last step).
8. - a state of mind in which "everything impossible becomes possible", insight and wisdom.

What makes people no longer young age master complex poses, for the first time to sit on the twine and learn mantras - prayers, in each sound of which there is a sacred meaning (a powerful weapon for fulfilling desires, healing, calming the soul)?

There are many reasons for this:

• the fastest and effective method become flexible and hardy (there are many strength exercises);
• improving health - strengthening the spine, cervical region and back muscles. Work stabilization of cardio-vascular system, normalization of pressure, relieving tension in the shoulders, lower back, legs. Help in cleansing the body, strengthening the nervous system;
• smart approach to weight loss
• a variety of physical exercises and ready-made programs;
• the opportunity to work independently at home.

What other benefits are possible from classes and whether they can harm the body - in the next section.

About health benefits

Any fanatic who does yoga for 1.5-2 hours several times a week will name a thousand and one reasons to devote his life to studying this practice. But even if we are not going to drop everything and run away to Tibet to comprehend the secrets of human existence, it is useful to know why we sweat in the hall and wrap ourselves in knots no worse than a Tibetan monk.

So, yoga practice:

1. Makes us flexible and muscles elastic. Try to set a goal - to sit on the twine in 2-3 months. Difficult and painstaking work, but it's real! If you've ever done gymnastics, your muscles will easily remember how to stretch. Therefore, we observe how 50-60-year-old ladies fold into intricate asanas and look young and energetic at the same time.
2. Helps reduce body weight. An age-old problem that worries women of any age. Dynamic and power yoga improves metabolism and accelerates the process of losing weight, and also helps to consolidate this effect for a long time. IN modern fitness clubs There are even classes - yoga for weight loss.
3. Forms a royal posture - fights curvature of the spine, strengthens the supporting muscles of the back.
4. Prevents bone fragility - at the initial stages it stops the development of osteoporosis, arthrosis, etc. This is a problem not only for the elderly. The statistics of appeals of young people (for example, those who are seriously involved in sports) to orthopedic doctors and surgeons is depressing.
5. Reduces the risk of developing certain diseases. This has already been mentioned in this article, but we list it again: it normalizes blood pressure, the work of the cardiovascular system, the digestive tract, the lymphatic and immune systems, regulates blood circulation, and prevents the development of diabetes.
6. Controls the production of stress hormones. The hormone cortisol during physical and mental stress is produced by the efforts of the adrenal glands. Yoga exercises help deceive the brain, calm the nervous system, and focus on the present moment.
7. Teaches you to control your body - what is worth balancing in a handstand. As a result, the movements are clearer, more confident.
8. Does not exclude the development of transcendental abilities. There are cases when yogis became healers, psychics, they knew how to control their minds. Some were able to survive in hellish conditions without food or water for several days.
9. It becomes an excellent pain reliever. The practice of meditation helps to drown out the pain of female malaise, back pain, lower back, cervical region etc.
10. Makes more self-confident, removes from a depressive state. After some time, the way of life is sure to change (provided that you have a serious and long-term relationship with yoga), it becomes easier to cope with bad habits, to realize the true purpose.
11. Makes you upbeat and energetic. Even if it's raining outside the window for the second week, real yogi knows that this is not a reason to walk gloomy and dissatisfied. Yoga teaches you to look optimistically at everything around you. Ayurveda, which is part of the science of yoga, gives advice on proper nutrition, and it helps to save energy without doping (coffee, cigarettes, energy drinks).
12. Helps to become more open and contact. The principle of “serve others” will not allow you to refuse to help someone. People who practice yoga are perceived as a bright sun, to which they want to reach.

There are so many arguments in favor that it is impossible to imagine that yoga can be harmful. So what are the health risks of yoga?

About health risks

Like any exercise stress, yoga is contraindicated in specific cases. These can be serious health problems that exclude sports in principle.

Yoga - traumatic and sometimes dangerous view sports. If you try to jump straight into the quarry and stand on your head without support in the second lesson, everything will end sadly.

Sometimes an incredible number of people come to yoga seminars. In a stuffy and cramped space, it is easy to hurt someone and suffer yourself. Classes are recommended to be performed in a spacious and well-ventilated room.

There are several styles of yoga. The trainer shows the exercises at a very fast pace, which is simply not suitable for a beginner and will cause severe discomfort. This person will not come to yoga classes anymore. Therefore, you should choose the class very carefully. Leave the dynamic practice heated up for later.

You often hear that yoga is for the elite, and if you are “wooden” by nature, no matter how much you go to classes, you won’t be able to sit on the longitudinal twine. This is an absolute fallacy! It's all about regularity and discipline. Yoga does not tolerate long breaks. But at first 2-3 times a week will be enough.

Yoga practice is not for the elite, it is for everyone. But most yoga practitioners are women. Refined natures who watch their figure choose this practice in order to become more flexible (and this has a positive effect on reproductive function), to develop the feminine in themselves, the boundaries of which are erased in strong and independent women, and simply because it is now popular.

What result should a woman expect from yoga and how her body is transformed?

Women's happiness: the benefits of yoga for the figure

We will not focus on how yoga is useful, exclusively on practices for women: yoga for weight loss, yin yoga, etc. Let's look at the overall effect it gives women:

• eliminates periodic female pains;
• positively affects the functioning of the endocrine glands;
• has a rejuvenating effect on the body;
• relieves fatigue.

Another plus of this practice - disappear overweight. Be prepared that you will not be able to quickly lose 10-15 kilograms. Yoga works gently and gradually. Besides sudden loss weight is harmful to the body, it is unlikely that a normal woman is ready to sacrifice health. If you eat right and go to classes regularly, everything will turn out for the best.

Supportive asanas, all kinds of balances and handstands make the body strong, fit, and the most capricious parts of the body are elastic. And women have little chance of pumping over and overdoing it in yoga.

Who one day decides to come to the second lesson, hopelessly falls in love with yoga. Bored in class experienced trainer will not give, there are so many different directions and variations of classical poses. This practice differs significantly from cardio loads and exercises in

gym and affects the body gently, gradually, but effectively. If the goal becomes a desire to improve health, throw off a couple extra pounds or get rid of depression, you will not be disappointed and will be satisfied with the result.

There is no such person who would not benefit from yoga, so it is safe to say that it is suitable for everyone. The exception is some diseases in which the benefits of yoga are questioned and its practice can even harm: infections of the brain and spine, malignant tumors, mental illness, acute diseases of internal organs. In other cases systematic studies yoga normalizes all physiological processes in the body, and the body begins to function smoothly - this is how it works, probably, only in childhood, when nature itself fully helps the young body.

How do yoga practitioners benefit from yoga? When viewed from the side, people are sitting in comfortable positions and do nothing special... Nevertheless, work in static position going serious. In short, by combining breathing with muscle tension and relaxation of the body.

Breathing allows you to control attention and enhances the effect of the asana. Muscle tension sets in motion the deep-lying muscles (passive), and they, in turn, reflexively affect the internal organs, which are simply not accessible in other types of physical activity. And finally, after a good tension, there is a deep and high-quality relaxation of the whole body.

The benefits of yoga for men: a digression into history

In ancient India, yoga, generally speaking, was considered an occupation only for men, as a way to achieve the Absolute, the highest knowledge of oneself and merge with the Creator after complete liberation from the material and purification from karmic activity. To achieve liberation is a man's prerogative.

Human consciousness goes through certain stages of development from the mineral world, continuing with the vegetable and animal, and receiving a human incarnation. Being born, a person also goes through stages of development of consciousness, and, from this point of view, a woman is a certain stage. According to yogic treatises, only women who perform their earthly duties well, serving their husband and family, can acquire the right to be born a man. Further, the evolution of their consciousness continues in the male body, which has much more possibilities.

The gradual development of human consciousness is well illustrated by the doctrine of energy centers V human body- chakras - and division into castes according to them. People with a low level of development, satisfying only their own needs, shudras (workers), conditionally live in the lower centers: chakras and Svadhisthana. The consciousness of vaishyus (merchants) rises to the Manipura chakra: in addition to themselves, they already show concern for others, for example, about the family, and produce something for society. In the old days, yoga was allowed from this level.

The next level of the Anahata-chakra is in the caste of kshatriyas (warriors), who devoted themselves to taking care of everyone. They practiced a special yoga aimed at developing strength, endurance, patience and sanity. A lot of Kshatriya yoga has been brought into the current practices, which helps us to stand in the endlessly raging modern world.

The Vishuddha Chakra is developed among the highest caste - the Brahmins (wise men). These are leaders of organizations, public figures, managers, politicians and kings. At this level, consciousness evolves to the understanding that I am a soul and not a body. Having played enough roles of a sudra, vaishya, kshatriya, a person comes to the knowledge of his spiritual nature, and he is prescribed to practice yoga and meditation.

The two upper chakras in the forehead and crown - Ajna and Sahasrara - are the way out of the human consciousness and are responsible for communication with the cosmos. In his development, a man also goes through all these stages. Therefore, here we can talk not just about the benefits of yoga for men, but about the fact that it is the foundation on which this evolution is achieved.