Congratulations on your involvement in the world of yoga. You're taking part in a practice in which millions of people over thousands of years have found joy, peace and many physical and mental benefits.
You've already discovered that the time spent on your yoga mat is a safe haven from today's fast paced world of too much to do in too short a day, fatigue, stress, pollution and general anxiety. Yoga helps you deal with the pressures of life in order to fully enjoy the good things - time spent with family and friends, good health and fun. If you've been doing yoga for a while, you've probably personally experienced some of the physical, mental and maybe even spiritual benefits already. Practitioners of yoga throughout the years have reported improvements in all areas of their lives, and western medicine is now beginning to find scientific explanations for these changes.
Knowing some of the benefits may help you in planning your yoga practice, perhaps even incorporating breathing (pranayama) and meditation on a regular basis.
The typical physical benefits associated with yoga are improved flexibility and stronger muscles. As you continue in your practice, you'll notice a gradual loosening of your body, and eventually, seemingly impossible poses will become possible. Your aches and pains may even start to disappear. This increased flexibility pairs with stronger muscles to protect your body from back pain, arthritis and problem joints.
Yoga also helps to get fluids flowing in your body. Your blood really starts to move, which helps with your circulation, leading to your cells receiving more oxygen which increases their functioning. When you move your body, and hence your organs, around in yoga asanas, you increase the drainage of lymph which helps to fight infection and dispose of the toxins in your body. Doing yoga lowers both blood pressure and LDL, the 'bad' cholesterol. Yoga poses such as twists help with digestive disorders and a regular yoga practice gets you moving and burns calories. The physical benefits of yoga cannot be overemphasised, yet they are only one part of the picture.
Yoga relaxes both the mind and the body. In slowing your breath and focusing on the present, your breathing and heart rates slow down and your blood pressure decreases, leading to a state of relaxation. Mentally, focusing on what your body is doing (or not doing) frees your mind from worrying about anything else at all - there's no room for any other thoughts when you're trying to remain in downward dog for nine breaths.
Restorative yoga, or just focusing internally in any asana, provides a turning inwards of the senses, giving the mind and nervous system a chance to relax and rest. This inner awareness also helps you become aware of where you hold tension in your body and how to move to reduce it.
If you choose to explore the spiritual side of yoga, you'll experience a sense of interconnectedness, one of the most powerful lessons of yoga. This understanding starts in your own body, in which changes in your poses, breathing or mental states affect your entire physical and mental being - change your posture and you'll change the way you breath; change your breathing and your emotions will change. Expanding this sense of interconnectedness to the universe at large will change your life forever.
However often you practice yoga, and however deeply you venture into its many lessons, practicing yoga is a guaranteed investment in yourself.
Chris Lindsay is giving free rein to her creativity by designing mandalas for herself and others to color in. She uses geometric patterns from temari, yantra and kaleidoscope designs as the starting points for her creations.
Whether you want to reduce stress, to quieten your mind, meditate or just to have fun, coloring is a great activity for all ages and all abilities.
Visit http://www.mandalas-to-color.com and set your artistic creativity free.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Lindsay
