13 reasons why yoga is good for you

(header by samulli)

in honor of yoga awareness month, i give you 13 reasons to take up yoga.

1. it builds muscle! and it builds them with flexibility. if you go to the gym and lift weights, you are building muscle but without flexibility, which inhibits your range of motion.

2. it's good for your bones-in yoga, you build muscle tone by bearing your own weight in poses such as downward facing dog. weight bearing exercise strengthens bones and helps ward off osteoporosis. a consistent practice increases bone density in the vertebrae. (unpublished study by CSU,LA)

3. twists! twists keep your vertebrae supple. the only way spinal disks get nutrients is through movement. by keeping the disks thick, you not only prevent herniated disks and compressed nerves, but you are maintaining a long spine. you don't have to get shorter and more hunched as you age. it comes from the spinal disks shrinking, making the vertebrae closer together.

4. increased flexibility! you thought this was going to be #1, right? just mixing it up a bit, although it is the number one thing people think of when yoga comes to mind. and with good reason. a consistent practice will increase flexibility. and with increased flexibility regular aches and pains you may have will ease up. tight muscles put a strain on other areas of the body resulting in said aches in pains. need some examples? tight hips can strain the knee joints, tight hamstrings can lead to a flattening of the lumbar spine, resulting in back pain, and inflexibility in muscles and connective tissue can lead to poor posture.

5. it's good for your joints. each time you get on your mat, you take your joints through their full range of motion. this can help prevent degenerative arthritis by squeezing and soaking areas of cartilage that aren't used. it's similar to twisting the spine. by squeezing out fluid, the joints can soak up fresh nutrients. neglected cartilage will wear out and expose the underlying bone.

6. it's good for the blood flow. yoga increases the amount of oxygen your cells receive, resulting in better cell function. how? twisting wrings out venous blood from internal organs and allow fresh, oxygenated blood to flow in once the twist is released. inversions, such as headstand or shoulderstand, get the venous blood from the legs back to the heart to be pumped to the lungs for fresh oxygen.

7. it's also good for the lymph. lymph doesn't move on its own. it moves when you contract muscles and move organs around, which you do when you come in and out yoga poses. inversions are especially good for lymph drainage. lymph drainage is a vital component of the immune system.

8. it's good for your stress! yoga is a great stress reliever. and it has been shown to lower cortisol levels. living with constant stress means your cortisol levels remain high, which compromises immune function, undermine memory and may lead to permanent changes in the brain. excessive cortisol has been linked to osteoporsosis (high levels of cortisol extract calcium and other nutrients from the bone), high blood pressure and insulin resistance.

9. it makes you happy! a consistent practice has been shown to improve depression by increasing serotonin levels and decreasing monoamine oxidase and cortisol.

10. it's good for your posture, which in turn is good for your head and your neck and your back. if you carry your head directly over a long, erect spine, it is less work for your neck to support it. if you move your head several inches forward, then you start to strain your neck. slumping causes your body to compensate by flattening the natural inward curves in your neck and lower back. this in turn, can cause pain and degenerative arthritis of the spine.

11. better sleep! yoga is also known for inducing relaxation. we live our lives at full pace, carrying around lots of stress with very little downtime. but downtime is important. relaxing actually helps us perform better. restorative poses, meditation, pranayama and the king of all relaxation, savasana, give our harried nervous system a much needed break. full relaxation, which yoga offers, also has the added benefit of helping us sleep better. this in turn makes us rested, alert, better functioning people in our waking hours. :)

12. yoga also improves immune function by lowering cortisol levels, encouraging lymph drainage and activating the thymus gland (in heart opening postures).

13. what final reason can i leave you with? there are so many to choose from. how about this, living in the present. yoga encourages you relax, slow down, breathe and focus on the present. being focused on the present makes us happier people in general because we are mindful and fully aware and living life NOW. we aren't stuck in the past, reliving loops of memories or worrying about the future. and really our life is now, in the present, but so few of us seem to actually inhabit this now space.

one final note: i am an avid reader of yoga journal, which is where i learn and compile all of my yoga facts.

to participate in thursday thirteen, go here.