Yoga Benefits: Top 5 Reasons To Start Today

Introduction:

Have you every thought about Yoga and not dared to try it because of some preconceived ideas or fear of ridicule, maybe you have just wondered how can Yoga help me or what are the “Yoga Benefits”?

In this article, we present the Top 5 x reasons for practicing Yoga, in the hope they will convince you to start Yoga.

Don’t worry, the benefits of yoga start straight away and not just when you have become a seasoned guru or mastered the most challenging poses.

1: Reduce Stress & Anxiety

By simply slowing our breathing down (deep breaths) it will sooth and quieten the mind, yoga and meditation allows us to be more peaceful and reduce our stress levels.

According to a US national survey, over 85% of people who practice yoga reported that it helped them to improve their general health.

Yoga is considered to be a complete mind-body exercise which is both beneficial for your mental and physical health.

2: Improves Your Quality Of Sleep

It is commonly believed that there are are four streams of Yoga, Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga and Raja Yoga and from these other streams and practices have emerged.

One of which is Nidra Yoga which can be used to help you relax and to greatly improve the quality of your sleep.

By helping you to unwind and de-stress it allows you to achieve a relaxed state between awakening and sleep, which enables you to let go of worries, negative thoughts and any emotional stress that may have been caused by a hard day at work or caring for your family.

You’ll be able to enjoy a much deeper, longer, more energising and invigorating sleep.

Your sleep can be further enhanced by including the addition of a fragrance, the use of Lavender being one of the best known fragrances for this.

However, other fragrances such as Chamomile, Bergamot, Jasmine, Rose and Sandalwood are also known to help foster relaxation and sleep.

One of the easiest ways to include or use a fragrance while preparing for sleep or doing Yoga is to use a natural spray like the PAIRFUM London Flacon Sleep Spray

Don’t worry, we have not forgotten to tell you how it works – you will just have to read a little further to get the full explanations in point 5!

3: Yoga Is For Everyone!

Yoga really is for everyone, despite your age, gender or physical condition.

There is no need to be a contortionist or a master of the martial arts.

You just need a quite & pleasant place to sit or lie down in and comfortable, practical clothing (at least in the beginning).

After a while you realise that you can do Yoga anywhere:

standing waiting in a queue,
sitting on the bus, train or on an aeroplane,
any other place, …

Well, … I am not suggesting that you decide to do actual Yoga poses while in a queue or using public transport. Instead, we recommend meditation for these moment. Meditation is at the heart of Yoga and really deserves an article all to itself.

There are postures for beginners that will help you to improve your flexibility, stability and will allow you to strengthen your muscles, plus they increase your concentration levels.

In fact, you might like to encourage your children to take up Yoga as early as possible, …

How about prenatal yoga ? There are postures designed for pregnant women.

Now, … you can’t start much earlier than that.

4: Enhanced Brain Activity

In many ways, our brains are like a muscle and practising yoga will have similar effects for your brain as going to the gym has for our body.

Just as with meditation, yoga can improve your concentration level – and it does not stop there..

According to a study led by Harris Eyre in 2013, yoga would significantly increase your spatial and visual memory.

In fact Dr. Eyre noticed in the study, that the participating seniors who were practising Kundalini yoga, had improved as fast as the other participants who were doing memory exercises.

The main difference was that the participants who were doing yoga also improve with regards to reduced depression and visuospatial memory during the same period.

5: Trigger Yoga Benefits Through Your Olfactory Memory

Did you know that you can train your brain to immediately start to relax while practising Yoga, by including a fragrance in the background?

This is how it is done:

select a suitable background fragrance and we have included some suggestions below
use a candle or spray to disperse the scent before or/and during your yoga session

The additional benefit of using a background fragrance is that your brain associates it with yoga or relaxation and when it comes to the time to prepare for bed & sleep, you can automatically trigger the relaxing effects of Yoga by releasing the same fragrance in the bedroom.

Some practical applications would be:

select one of the Pairfum Flacon Sleep Sprays and spray a little fragrance onto your Yoga mat every time you practice
before going to bed, spray a small amount of your chosen fragrance onto your pillows, sheets or duvet.

You will notice after a short period of time that your brain associates your chosen scent with the benefits of Yoga & Relaxation and that you will enjoy a better night’s sleep.

As we have mentioned earlier in the article, the best notes to help foster relaxation and sleep are Lavender, Chamomile, Bergamot, Jasmine, Rose and Sandalwood.

Olfactive Tools For Yoga

Suitable Fragrances:

If the fragrance you have chosen as your yoga workmate is either Lavender or Vanilla, then you are in for some additional benefits, as studies have shown that these essential oils are able to lower your blood pressure, heart rate and skin temperature.

Setting the Mood:

Using a natural candle made with essential oils during yoga, not only sets the mood but enables you to release your chosen fragrance during the session.

Choosing any of the fragrances we have previously suggested will be a perfect companion for you on your yoga journey.

Make sure to use a natural, non-toxic, non-sooting, clean burning candle.

It is well worth remembering that the practice of Yoga and meditation, improves both mental and physical health, memory and relaxation.

So with all these benefits in mind, why not give it a go?

By including some simple tools, such as a candle or a natural reed diffuser, it will help you create your own little corner of paradise, where you leave negative thoughts or emotions and the ‘Cares of the World’ behind.