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Psychological benefits of asanas
Regular yoga practice
creates mental clarity and calmness, increases body awareness, relieves
chronic stress patterns, relaxes the mind, centers attention and
sharpens concentration.
Self-Awareness Yoga
strives to increase self-awareness on both a physical and psychological
level. Patients who study yoga
learn to induce relaxation and then to use the technique whenever
pain appears. Practicing yoga
can provide chronic pain sufferers with useful tools to actively
cope with their pain and help counter feelings of helplessness and
depression.
Mental Performance A common technique used in
yoga is breathing through one nostril
at a time. Electroencephalogram (EEG) studies of the electrical
impulses of the brain have shown that breathing through one nostril
results in increased activity on the opposite side of the brain.
Some experts suggest that the regular practice of breathing through
one nostril may help improve communication between the right and
left side of the brain. Studies have also shown that this increased
brain activity is associated with better performance and doctors
even suggest that yoga can enhance
cognitive performance.
Mood Change And Vitality
Mental health and physical energy are difficult to quantify, but virtually everyone
who participates in yoga over
a period of time reports a positive effect on outlook and energy
level. Yogic stretching and breathing exercises have been seen to
result in an invigorating effect on both mental and physical energy
and improved mood.
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