5 Ways Yoga Can Improve Your Life

Like most Eastern healing practices, the goal of yoga is to help you achieve balance – physically and mentally. Although it really didn’t take off here in the U.S until the 1980s, yoga has been around for 5,000 years, so it’s hardly a trend. There are many more ways that yoga can improve your life, but here are five of the most popular reasons why people make yoga part of their regular routine.

1)      Yoga reduces stress and anxiety.

Through diaphragmatic breathing and various yoga poses, internal space is created, minimizing any toxic buildup in the cells, tissues and muscles. Yoga helps to decrease hormone produced by the body in response to stress. And when you train the mind to focus on breathing, other mental stressors tend to dissipate. Mindful breathing also improves lung capacity and endurance.

2)      Yoga improves physical balance.

We all have some level of imbalance in the physical body. Yoga not only builds flexibility and strength, but it helps to synchronize movement and biomechanics to lessen the chance of injury.

3)      Yoga improves posture.

Because most poses work your abdominals and help you develop a stronger core, posture is improved. Yoga also enhances body awareness, which enables you to recognize when you’re hunching over or slouching.

4)      Yoga improves heart health.

Studies have shown yoga can lower blood pressure and slow the heart rate while helping to decrease cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

5)      Yoga strengthens the immune system.

Yoga creates a synergy between all systems of the body, which leads to energy efficiency and enhanced immunity to disease. Yoga helps to stimulate or calm the immune response depending on the situation.

Many yoga students will also tell you that yoga has improved their concentration, mood, energy and confidence. Others say yoga has helped them manage chronic health conditions, from insomnia to asthma to depression. Need more of an incentive to try yoga?

At Natural Healthcare Center, we recently remodeled and re-opened our third floor yoga studio. With breathtaking views of the ocean, natural wood floors and plenty of space, we’ve created an alcove of peace and serenity where everyone feels welcome, from beginners to advanced practitioners.

“Our teachers embrace an attitude and aptitude of teaching to the students and not fulfilling the needs of their egos,” said Christian Valeriani, Director of Yoga at Natural Healthcare Center, registered yoga teacher, certified YogaEd teacher, and certified Vinyasa instructor. “We practice and teach humbly so that we can be examples of wellness and hope for those looking to enhance their lives.”

Find out how you can get a free yoga session in Natural Healthcare Center’s beautifully updated yoga studio!

Dr. James Prood­ian is an accom­plished chi­ro­prac­tic physi­cian and health edu­ca­tor com­mit­ted to the prin­ci­ples of func­tional med­i­cine. As a keynote speaker, he has inspired thou­sands to con­sider prac­ti­cal ways to achieve bet­ter health and well­ness through Lifestyle Med­i­cine and Health Literacy.