Yoga has become an extremely popular fitness trend all over the world, and Malta is no exception. It incorporates breathing exercises, meditation and poses designed to encourage relaxation.

But how does yoga actually benefit both body and mind? Here are 6 reasons why dedicating a few minutes of your day to yoga will make you feel healthier and happier!

Improves breathing

Breathing exercises are a very important part of yoga. They increase vital capacity, meaning that you can expel air better from your lungs. This, in turn, reduces the risk of lung diseases and asthma.

Yoga encourages calm and deep breathing. Techniques involve breathing fully from the pit of your stomach up towards the top of your lungs. Starting your morning with these breathing exercises can help you feel more relaxed and balanced throughout your day.

Can relieve chronic pain

Many people face chronic pain on a daily basis, mostly as a result of past injuries or arthritis. Practicing yoga can relieve several types of chronic pain, such as carpal tunnel syndrome and osteoarthritis of the knees.

Yoga can also protect your body against certain diseases caused by chronic inflammation, including diabetes and cancer.

Reduces risk of heart disease

Most yoga instructors like to use the phrase 'open your heart' during classes — and they do this for a reason! Yoga can reduce high blood pressure and bad cholesterol, all huge risk factors for heart disease.

The great thing is that you can reap the benefits of yoga from the comfort of your home and with minimal effort. For example, instead of lying on your sofa or bed to relax, perform the 'corpse pose' by laying down on your back with open arms. Now concentrate on each part of your body and relax your muscles along the way. This can help stabilise your blood pressure.

Helps with mental concentration

Yoga doesn't only help you feel better physically — it can also be wonderful mentally. As little as 20 minutes of yoga every morning can improve your brain's ability to process information quickly and accurately.

Apart from increasing concentration levels, yoga is able to lessen the burden of worrying thoughts by bringing your mind back to the present. This is also known as mindfulness — replacing negative feelings like anxiety and lack of energy with focus and self-confidence.

Contributes to stress relief

Settling into yoga poses that equally tense and relax your muscles is a great way to battle stress and anxiety. The powerful combination of breathing, meditating and posing has proven to be beneficial even in severe cases of insomnia and PTSD.

It's not entirely clear how yoga can reduce stress and anxiety so effectively, but one plausible explanation could be yoga's ability to help one find a comforting sense of inner peace and self-acceptance.

Keeps you healthy

Aside from potential weight loss and the strengthening of muscles, yoga can make you feel healthy in other deeper and more permanent ways.

Eating healthily and enjoying a better quality of life are often natural consequences of practising yoga regularly. Since it encourages mindfulness, yoga tends to make it easier to maintain healthy eating habits and to have a more positive outlook on life.

Now that you know why yoga can be so beneficial, it's worth looking into finding the right instructor. Have a look at all the Yoga Instructors listed on Yellow!

Namaste…rest easy, and find anything you need in seconds — visit yellow.com.mt!