What are the Health Benefits of Yoga?

Yoga has been in the world since more than 5000 years. Every year more and more people are discovering its advantage and have started practicing to enjoy health benefits. We can say that the world today is swept by the true fitness mantra yoga. With changing times more advanced and fusion type of yoga has evolved which makes use of asana and meditation and breathing techniques. One can benefit from these forms and enjoy good health. Here are discussed some of the yoga health benefits:-
 
Benefits of yoga for flexibility-
Age is nor bar when it comes to yoga. Elderly people and arthritis patients are extremely worried about flexibility. But the fact is that even people with such condition can make use of yoga in everyday life and can benefit good health. The muscles can be safely worked out by various yoga poses and the range of motion can be increased. Yoga increases the natural lubrication of body and softens all the body tissues. Thus, Yoga health benefits can be observed and enjoyed in very short period of time. 
 
Benefits of yoga for strength-
Some fusion forms of yoga like the power yoga and asthanga yoga offer more health benefits and they are vigorous. They tone the muscles. The iyengar yoga lays less stress on movements with precision in poses. These are good to give strength and stamina benefits.
 
Benefits of yoga for posture-
With flex and strength the posture improves. Further the core strength gets developed with standing and sitting postures. Another important benefit of yoga comes with increase in alertness. 
 
Benefits of yoga for better breathing-
All the yoga asana and the yoga postures are well structured with breathing techniques. This is important to improve the lung capacity and increase the blood flow in the body. With improvement in endurance the performance also perks. Yoga lays stress on deepened and lengthened breathing technique. 
 
Benefits of yoga for reducing stress and increasing calmness-
Even a beginner can feel the difference in his/her first yoga class. Numerous yoga styles make particular meditation technique to calm the mind. Some other yoga forms focus on breath. Yoga is popular on account of its anti-stress benefits.
 
 Benefits of yoga for concentration-
 It’s true that with absorption of yoga in life the concentration improves and the mood swings arrested. Yoga has tremendous effect on depression and anxiety. Yoga is said to ease some of the obsessive compulsive disorder. 
 
Benefits of yoga for heart-
Even studies support that yoga is capable in alleviating cardiovascular diseases. It reduces heart rate and control blood pressure. People can get benefited with yoga and they can control hypertension, stroke, cholesterol etc. some studies even show the anti-oxidant effect of yoga for better health. 
 
Benefits of yoga for other ailments-
In the west the researchers has found the benefits of yoga on account of its therapeutic effects. Yoga benefits arthritis, asthmas, back pain, insomnia and even in sclerosis too. 
 
Other health Benefits of yoga -
Yoga builds memory. It also slows down the aging process and boosts energy level. On a spiritual level too the awareness increases. Yoga practitioners opine that even on personal front yoga works miraculously.
 
With practice of these yoga practices one can witness and benefit all the good health. It infuses entirely in one’s individual’s life.

 

Laughter Yoga CNN Report

www.laughteryoga.org This is a short piece by Dr Sanjay Gupta of CNN Health about Laughter Yoga and Dr Madan Kataria

 

 

Raw Food Diet: Different Types and Their Health Benefits

Only in the small "health nut" circles has the idea of eating a raw diet been mainstream. Lately, however, it is gaining more wide-spread popularity. An increasing number of people are now promoting the variety of benefits from eating raw food.

Advocates of a raw food diet believe it is the most logical diet for humans. After all, our hunting and gathering ancestors ate a large majority of their diet in raw form. Proponents believe raw food contains enzymes and nutritional content lost in the process of cooking the food.

Types of Raw Food Diets

There are varying degrees of a raw food diet.

* Raw foodism refers to a diet without any food restrictions as long as it's raw or warmed to less than 105 degrees.

* Raw vegans consume only fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, sprouts and legumes, and no animal products (meat or dairy).

* The Raw Paleolithic Dieters eat meat, organ-meats, fruit, vegetables, honey, nuts, fish, shellfish, and eggs. They exclude dairy, grains, legumes and vegetable juices from their diet.

Within their food restrictions, they all require that at least 75 percent of foods in the diet are eaten raw, or are warmed to a temperature of no more than 105 degrees prior to eating.

Benefits of the Raw Food Diet

* One of obvious benefits of a raw food diet is weight loss. As most raw food dieters eat only plant foods, fewer calories are usually consumed. The diet is also usually low in fat, unless a large amount of seeds and nuts are eaten regularly.

* Improved digestion is also a benefit of eating a raw food diet. This is due to the digestive enzymes present in raw foods, allowing the body's own enzymes to maintain their focus on regulating it's metabolism. People who complain of a low metabolism may benefit from eating more raw food. Others who complain of digestive issues such as acid reflux may also benefit.

* Those on the raw food diet often report an increase in energy. The body doesn't have to work as hard to produce enzymes, as they already exist in the raw food. They also tend not to combine proteins and carbs in the same meal which slows digestion and zaps our energy.

* The downside of eating cooked food in which the enzymes have been destroyed makes digestion more difficult. This could lead to toxins accumulating in the body, obesity and chronic disease.

* Raw foods contain beneficial bacteria and other micro-organisms that benefit the immune system and digestion by increasing the healthy gut flora in the digestive tract. You may have heard of taking probiotic supplements to achieve the same thing.

The raw food diet may sound like a life of deprivation to some, but it is not as limiting as one might think. Advocates believe there are a number of benefits backed up by scientific evidence. Try incorporating more raw food with each meal and experience the benefits yourself.

For example, try adding fresh fruit with breakfast, fresh cut vegetables at lunch, nuts and seeds for a snack and a salad at dinner. Experience for yourself the benefits of eating foods the way nature presents them.

The Raw Food Diet: Healthy, or are Benefits Cooked-up?

Since when was getting a raw deal a good thing? When you decide to try the Raw Food Diet, apparently. Proponents of this natural food diet stick to unprocessed uncooked plant foods, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, sprouts, seeds, nuts, grains, beans, dried fruit, and seaweed.

Most adherents are vegetarian, while some eat raw fish and even fewer eat (gulp!) raw meat. Either way, you may as well say bye-bye to that new stainless steel stove of yours. That’s because raw food proponents believe that heating any food above 116 degrees Fahrenheit destroys important enzymes that help in digestion and absorption of the essential nourishment you get from your meals.

Critics claim that even if enzymes are inactivated when food is heated, the body uses its own enzymes for digestion. They also point out that cooking makes some phytochemicals easier to absorb into your system.

Regardless of which side you stand on, the emphasis on natural, non-processed food sources, is undeniably a good place to start.

So, are you still interested in trying the raw eating lifestyle? Since this is a pretty drastic change in your eating habits, you may experience some withdrawal symptoms such as headaches and nausea when you first give up sugar and caffeine. But don’t fret; it should only last a couple days. You may also risk some nutritional deficiencies such as protein, calcium and iron, so consider consulting your doctor first.

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