Originating in India and thought to take its name from the Sanskrit word meaning ‘union’, yoga is a traditional discipline that trains the mind, the breath and the body. A yoga session entails breathing exercises, holding of certain postures and meditation, often combining the three. Though there is no scientific explanation for it, yoga is widely held to be not only beneficial for the body and therapeutic for many ailments of the mind too.

The most noticeable physical advantages are the fact that it can help you to lose weight, as well as build and tone muscles. Moving slowly between positions that require you to hold your body up with certain limbs builds muscle and tone. Increasing how supple your limbs are, and adding strength, can make you more resilient to injury in other activities such as walking and running. The postural benefits cannot be overstated either, especially if you are required to sit in front of a computer for hours on end, which can lead to back problems.

The breathing exercises are beneficial to the body as well. Prior to yoga training many people breathe shallowly and so do not fully utilise their lungs. Focusing on breathing and utilising lungs better not only increases the amount of oxygen, which benefits the whole body, but also helps relax the body.

And those are just the physical benefits! Yoga also causes mental relaxation. Exercise in general helps with this and relieves stress, but unique to yoga is practice of closely focusing on what the body is doing, which allows you to let go of your thoughts and promote general mental calmness. The focus on being in the moment, rather than worrying about the future or regretting the past, is something that can spill over into everyday life and can lead to a more pleasurable and less stressful life.

Becoming so comfortable with your body and the way it moves can really help promote self confidence as well. On top of all these seemingly limitless benefits, it has a quality that we could all use a lot more of: it is fun.

Yoga retreats can relax you and improve your health

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