I discovered another great article about the amazing health benefits of making a yoga practice part of your life.

So roll out that mat and get started!

Yoga Journal Article: Count on Yoga: 38 Ways Yoga Keeps you Fit

When I decided to turn my living room into a yoga studio, the furniture was replaced with some yoga mats, blankets and blocks.  The couch was rarely used anyway, except when guests came over.  Now, when we have guests, they are a little hesitant to sit on the floor, but after sitting on a blanket for awhile, they are surprised at how good it feels.

Spending more time on the floor in your daily life can have some real benefits. People living in floor cultures have more supple joints and stronger backs, and far better posture.  So try spending some time today on the floor—squatting, kneeling, or just sitting. It might seem uncomfortable and awkward at first, but if you spend a little time doing this each day, try to do a little reading on the floor, you’ll find your joints begin to loosen, squatting will become more comfortable, and you’ll see your yoga practice improve.

Source: Yoga Journal

A central premise in yoga is “everything is connected.” That’s clear when looking at the health and fitness benefits of yoga that have long been reported by practitioners and are now being confirmed by scientific research.

1. STRESS RELIEF:  Yoga reduces the physical effects of stress on the body by encouraging relaxation and lowering the levels of the stress hormone, cortisol. Related benefits include lowering blood pressure and heart rate, improving digestion and boosting the immune system, as well as easing symptoms of conditions such as anxiety, depression, fatigue, asthma and insomnia.
2. PAIN RELIEF:  Yoga can ease pain. Studies have demonstrated that practicing Yoga asanas (postures), meditation or a combination of the two, reduced pain for people with conditions such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, auto-immune diseases and hypertension as well as arthritis, back and neck pain and other chronic conditions.
3. BETTER BREATHING:  Yoga teaches people to take slower, deeper breaths.  This helps to improve lung function and trigger the body’s relaxation response.
4. FLEXIBILITY:  Yoga helps to improve flexibility and mobility, increasing range of movement and reducing aches and pains.
5. INCREASED STRENGTH: Yoga asanas (postures) use every muscle in the body, helping to increase strength literally from head to toe.  Yoga also helps to relieve muscular tension.
6. WEIGHT MANAGEMENT: Yoga (even less vigorous styles) can aid weight control efforts by reducing the cortisol levels, as well as by burning excess calories and reducing stress. Yoga also encourages healthy eating habits and provides a heightened sense of well being and self-esteem.
7. IMPROVED CIRCULATION: Yoga helps to improve circulation and, as a result of various poses, more efficiently moves oxygenated blood to the body’s cells.
8. CARDIOVASCULAR CONDITIONING: Even gentle yoga practice can provide cardiovascular benefits by lowering resting heart rate, increasing endurance and improving oxygen uptake during exercise.
9. BETTER BODY ALIGNMENT: Yoga helps to improve body alignment, resulting in better posture and helping to relieve back, neck, joint and muscle problems.
10. FOCUS ON THE PRESENT: Yoga helps us to focus on the present, to become more aware and to help create mind body health. It opens the way to improved coordination, reaction time and memory.