“The objective of yoga is to develop strength, awareness, and harmony in the mind and body,” explains Natalie Nevins, DO, a Hollywood, California-based board-certified osteopathic family physician and certified Kundalini Yoga instructor.
While there are over a hundred distinct styles, or schools, of yoga, the majority of sessions incorporate breathing exercises, meditation, and taking postures (sometimes termed asana or poses) that stretch and flex various muscle groups.
“As an osteopathic physician, I place a premium on preventative medicine and practices, as well as the body’s inherent ability to heal itself,” Dr. Nevins explains. “Yoga is an excellent tool for maintaining a healthy lifestyle because it is founded on similar ideas.”
Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine, or DOs, emphasize prevention over treatment by analyzing how your lifestyle and surroundings affect your health.
Beginners are always welcome.
Due to the diversity of yoga techniques, anyone can begin. “Whether you’re a couch potato or a professional athlete, your size and fitness level are irrelevant because every yoga posture has variations and beginner classes in every style,” Dr. Nevins explains. “The point is to push your boundaries, not to achieve pretzel-like perfection. It’s an excellent approach to reconnect with your body and inner self.” Physical advantages
“Yoga’s relaxation practices can help alleviate chronic pain conditions such as lower back pain, arthritis, headaches, and carpal tunnel syndrome,” Dr. Nevins explains. “Yoga can also help to reduce blood pressure and sleeplessness.”
Additional physical benefits of yoga include the following:
- enhanced adaptability
- increased muscle strength and tone enhanced respiration, energy, and vitality while preserving a balanced
- metabolism
- weight loss
- cardiorespiratory and circulatory health enhanced athletic performance and injury prevention
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Benefits to the mind
Apart from the physical benefits, one of the most beneficial aspects of yoga is how it assists a person in managing stress, which has been shown to have detrimental effects on the body and mind. “Stress manifests itself in a variety of ways, including back or neck pain, insomnia, headaches, substance addiction, and an inability to concentrate,” Dr. Nevins explains. “Yoga can be quite beneficial for enhancing coping abilities and fostering a more optimistic attitude on life.”
Yoga’s combination of meditation and breathing techniques can aid in the improvement of a person’s mental health. Regular yoga practice cultivates.
- increased flexibility
- increased muscle strength and tone
- improved respiration, energy, and vitality
- maintaining a balanced metabolism
- weight reduction
- cardio and circulatory health
- improved athletic performance
- protection from injury
