Why Do Students Step Onto the Mat?

Yoga is an ancient discipline that has evolved and grown in popularity in modern times. Based on teachings from thousands of years ago, the practice and the core of fundamental beliefs are still very much applicable to society today.

Figures found in a survey from the National Health Institute and Center for Disease and Prevention report that 10% of US adults and 3% of children participated in yoga in 2012, up 5% in adults and 2% in children from just a decade earlier. These figures equate to approximately 20 million practitioners seeking peace and solace from life’s increasing demands at home and in the office. Reports estimate yoga has become a $27 billion a year industry, and it is no wonder, there is an endless supply of students, stressed out young professionals, busy CEOS and retirees fueling an industry that will only see further growth into the future. What’s is all the hype about? Yoga has become a mainstream fixture in our society, but why do individuals step on the yoga mat in the first place?

1. A Brighter Outlook

Doing a one hour yoga practice 2-3 times a week helped practitioners raise their levels of the brain chemical GABA, low levels are linked with depression. Yoga students saw an increase of 27 percent in GABA levels compared with a group who read quietly, a study from Boston University School of Medicine and McLean Hospital reports.

2. Diminishes Aches & Pains

One of the principal benefits of yoga is aiding the lower back. Yoga asanas, or postures assist to improve the brawn of your back muscles. Additionally, some yoga positions will moreover increase the strength of the abdominal muscles which support the spine & assist maintain a proper alignment. The muscles are moreover obligatory to support these movements. The combination can be reduced or eliminated back pain.

3. Better Sleeping Habits

According to an article published online in Self Magazine, insomniacs fell asleep 15 minutes faster and slept an hour longer each night after two months of doing a 45-minute series of yoga poses daily before bed. Researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital speculate that regular practice helped people relax, making it easier to “switch off” at night.

4. “Hot” Sex

A study from The Journal of Sexual Medicine suggests yoga helps aid couples in the bedroom. Yoga helps reduce anxiety, increase body awareness and even speed the release of hormones that rev arousal. All of that translates to a boost in libido, lubrication and ability to achieve orgasm, experts say.

5. Increased Confidence

University of California in Berkeley reports women who practiced yoga habitually rated their body satisfaction 20 percent higher than did those who took aerobics. Both groups were at a healthy body weight. The secret may be that yoga asks you to tune in to how your body feels and what it can do, overall awareness—not how it looks.

6. Toning the Body

Yoga is strength training. It is using your own body weight to move from pose to pose and naturally toning your muscles and building strength and endurance. Great poses that encourage arm

7. An Overall Sense of Calm, Clarity, & Compassion

The practice of pranayama through vinyasa utilizes breathe connected with movement to calm the mind and bring the practitioner into the present moment. This centering creates an overall sense of calm. Women who had gone to the mat at least once a week for two years or more released 41 percent less of a tension-triggered cytokine (a type of protein) that can make you feel tired and moody compared with yoga newbies, a study in Psychosomatic Medicine notes.