|
When coming out of a great yoga practice you can’t help but feel incredible. Ever wonder why? We’ve done some research and found the mental benefits of yoga, how yoga decreases pain perception, & why heated yoga leaves your body feeling oh-so-good!  Mental Benefits of Yoga There are growing bodies of research on yoga’s many mental health benefits. Yoga is known to relieve stress, strengthen attention & concentration, & calm & center the nervous system. It has the ability to improve the symptoms of depression, attention deficit and hyperactivity, and sleep disorders. Some of our CCYOGA students have shared with us how yoga has improved their lives. Many noticed that sleep improved with a dedicated yoga practice. Another CCYOGA community member has noticed an improvement in her memory over the years through devoted yoga practice & the addition of meditation!  Pain Relief & Yoga Yoga can prove to be an excellent pain relief tool. When most people are expecting pain it triggers the “fight-or-flight" response of the sympathetic nervous system. When yogis anticipate pain, their parasympathetic nervous system activates. This cultivates a "tend-and-befriend" response instead of "fight-or-flight." Over time, the mental practice of creating calm will help decrease the sensation of pain. As always, consult your doctor first when contemplating pain relief practices and perhaps ask your doctor how yoga could possibly aid you in your pain relief. Heated Yoga Benefits At CCYOGA we practice mainly Heated Yoga with the offering of Restorative Yoga (unheated) on the class schedule, too. Practicing yoga in a heated room can increase your pulse rate & metabolism. With the increase of these two the body is able to burn calories in an efficient manner. Research has shown that Heated Yoga has a higher potential to aid the body in releasing fat over other types of yoga. Heated Yoga has a higher capacity to build muscle tone as the challenge of flowing & sweating creates a fair amount of strength. It can also improve the lymphatic system which aids in flushing the internal systems.  Heated Yoga is known to reduce muscle tension, strain, and inflammation. As you may already know, Colorado has a reputation for having a very active population! Try out Heated Yoga at CCYOGA as a great complement to the muscles soreness that can come on after a steep hike or solid bike ride. The benefits of yoga stretch much further than the topics covered in today’s blog. If you’re curious about many more of the benefits of yoga try out one of our personal resource favorites: Yoga Journal. Happy reading & see you on your mat! Sources cited: www.zliving.com , www.forbes.com , www.psychologytoday.com Comments are closed.
|