Do you want to feel slim, calm and sexy at all times? Who doesn’t right? The fact of the matter is that we are often too busy, exhausted or stressed out to do whatever it takes to start getting those results. Small but important things such as eating well, exercising or even taking a full breath every now and then seems way beyond our grasp in the midst of our hectic and superpaced life. Our hurried lives gives rise to high levels of stress, tiredness, weight gain, anxiety and frustration. And our thoughts of calm, slim and hotness goes out of the window!
Actually you can now go ahead and take a deep breath because you can radiate these life-affirming qualities by just practising yoga for 15 minutes every day. If you allow it, yoga can change your life. You may have a mental image in your mind that Yoga can only be practised by Yoga Gurus and slim and sexy men and women but make no mistake anyone regardless of height, age, looks, gender or race and reap the positive benefits of yoga. Or maybe you are an aerobics or a gym rat and you have a conception that Yoga is just a whole lot of body stretches – the kind you do post a workout session. But before you dismiss it, consider what Yoga can do for you – a slimmer body, stronger immunity against infections, lower blood pressure, better mood, better sex and much much more – all claims backed by decades of scientific research.
If you are already a regular fan of yoga, no doubt you are already familiar with that warm and relaxed feeling right after a session. Some people call it the Yoga Buzz. And scientists have discovered the powerful mechanism behind it. As it turns out, Yoga has a direct effect on your brain by raising the levels of a chemical called gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) which is directly linked to a feeling of well being. Re- searchers at the Boston University School of Medicine and McLean Hospital used MRI scans to measure GABA levels in volunteers roped in for a study. The scientists asked half of the group to do an hour of yoga while the others were asked to read a book. When the participants were re-scanned afterwards, the people who had done yoga had increased their GABA levels by an average of 27 %, while the ones who were reading showed no change. Those are some positive and serious feel-good results. In another study, UCLA researchers measured rapid and immediate mood changes in people who had just taken a yoga class. Their bad moods decreased while their good moods increased, and they were less tired and more energetic. It happens each time you do yoga practice.
Yoga Will Make you Slim
Some people think that Yoga isn’t effective for losing weight. This is especially true for those who haven’t done yoga before. We get a lot of inquiries for people who want to lose weight. And when we suggest yoga, most of our callers are not so sure whether it will help them lose weight. Let me tell you that traditional Yoga can be much more effective than ‘Power Yoga’ for losing weight. When you start doing yoga regularly, you will be sweating, blasting calories and toning and chiseling your entire body especially if you practice a more physically active form of Yoga such as Ashtanga, Vinyasa or Bikram Yoga (hot yoga). But having said that, burning calories is not where the bulk of yoga’s weight loss potential lies.
Yoga Will Make You Calmer
Every time you enter a yoga studio or a personal yoga training session brimming with stress, you will walk out feeling happy and calm. There is really no point in me exhorting you to banish stress from your life. Stress will always remain a part of our lives. But regular practice of yoga will help you deal with stress in a better way. Companies these days all over India are waking up to the stress-relieving power of yoga. In a recent study published in the journal Health Education and Behaviour, office employees who took part in a 6-week yoga and meditation program reported lower-than-regular stress levels and better sleep quality. And the more yoga that you practise, the better your body will be able to deal with stress which has major implications for your overall health. If work stress, family or problems with a friend, partner or spouse are causing you stress, then yoga can help you to focus and pay attention to the details and help you focus on the present and find a solution to the problem. Yoga helps you to focus on how your mind and body is feeling and help you to make adjustments that magnifies that feeling. This will positively affect your life even off the mat. Regular practise of yoga will help you clearly see what lies in front of you so that you can act from a grounded place and start making good value-based decisions. This is called mindfulness and it comes into practise every time you practise yoga.
Yoga Will Make You Feel Sexy
When you see yourself transforming or being transformed into a slimmer and calmer person, you will feel more confident about yourself and about life in general. But yoga’s effects go deeper than that. Yoga can physically change your body from the inside out so that you begin to experience pleasure in a whole new manner. Whether your idea of sex is bedroom gymnastics or whether it’s traditional lovemaking, the added strength, flexibility and endurance that you gain with regular Yoga practice will lead to amazing times between the sheets. And in case you are lucky enough to have a partner who practises Yoga along with you t hen be ready to hit orgasm jackpot! Need a better reason to drag your spouse or partner to yoga?!
A 2009 study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine found that women who followed a 12-week yoga program reported significant improvements in desire, arousal, lubrication, sexual satisfaction, and orgasm. Yoga’s direct influence on your orgasms is twofold. By strengthening your core muscles, you gain more control over your pelvic floor muscles and sex organs By harnessing this during sex, you will be able to climax more magnificently. Regular Yoga practice also reduces muscle tension which effectively makes your body more receptive to pleasure.
Need more reasons why it is a better idea to ditch the gym and start doing yoga in order to transform yourself from both the outside and the inside? Remember if you have never done yoga before, it is always a good idea to hire a personal yoga instructor to introduce you to Yoga in order to avoid unwanted injuries and also to ensure that personal attention is paid to you initially.
Author
Atin Dasgupta is the founder of Wellintra Fitness and is an artist-entrepreneur who makes music and builds businesses in his spare time!
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