by Ryan Pell
Contributing Author, Conscious Reminder
Are you still thinking about starting yoga classes? The time is now!
Yoga, among many benefits, helps self-improvement and personal development, which are probably in the list of your New Year’s Resolutions. So, as 2020 has just arrived, it’s time to start the new decade by introducing a new healthy habit into your life.
And, if that’s not enough to convince you, we’ve got a set of science-backed benefits of yoga to help you make up your mind!
But wait…
Why Yoga?
Indeed, there are many other practices to benefit self-improvement and personal development.
Take mindful meditation, for instance.
A few minutes of mindful meditation a day, among many other benefits, helps:
- improve focus
- manage stress and calm down your mind
- develop emotional intelligence
These benefits, without doubt, play an essential role in self-improvement and personal development. They also contribute to your mental well-being, as you adopt a more positive outlook.
But have you ever noticed that once your body starts feeling weak, your state of mind worsens as well?
Mental well-being is impossible without physical well-being. It’s the balance between these two that matters for your well-being and self-improvement and personal development as well.
Yoga is the way to achieve this balance, and it’s not just an empty claim.
Here are the main science-backed benefits of yoga for self-improvement and personal development.
1. Boosting Confidence for Personal Development
One of the most widely-known myths about yoga (and meditation, too) is that this practice exists to help people tame their ego.
In Buddhism, the ego an obstacle in achieving balance, so yoga is a kind of a tool to cope with ego.
While this teaching still exists in Buddhism, the recent study by the University of Southampton proved that yoga doesn’t quiet ego, but instead boosts confidence.
The study invited 93 yoga students and observed their confidence levels during 15 weeks of the experiment. After each yoga session, students reported feeling more confident, saying that their self-esteem significantly improved.
Researchers from the University of Southampton connect increased confidence levels with an increased sense of well-being that students got from yoga.
Breathing and meditation practices, along with the physical activity that yoga sessions include, give a boost of confidence, which is also connected to the energy boost you get from increased serotonin levels.
So, in case you don’t feel confident enough, try some asanas as well as breathing techniques to clear your mind.
2. Breeding a Sharp Mind for Personal Growth
How many times a day you catch yourself procrastinating?
Studies say that the average person spends several hours a week procrastinating. “Our recent research of college students shows that an average student spends minimum 1.5 hours a week procrastinating”, says Mary Sandringham, a researcher at Axonim. And 1.5 hours is just a starting point!
So, if you lose several hours a week procrastinating, where could you ever find time for self-improvement and personal development?
While procrastination can seem harmful, it also may be a sign that your brain is tired and needs a reboot. And yoga is a useful tool to make it happen.
CNBC reports that one yoga practice a week can help you improve memory, process information better, and manage emotions. The combination of physical exercises and breathing techniques can help you cope with information overload and clear your mind for a better focus.
After all, a focused mind is a prerequisite for personal growth.
3. Building Stamina for Continuous Self-Improvement
Let’s return to the idea of a sound mind in a sound body.
It is clear that you won’t feel motivated for self-development self-improvement if your body is weak. That is why you need to build stamina to make your body and mind work together in balance.
How can yoga help?
A study published the Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine journal suggests that only 12 weeks of consistent hatha yoga sessions can improve overall physical strength, mostly contributing to cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength, and flexibility.
Why is it possible?
In yoga, when assuming a pose or asana, you have to hold your position for a certain period to achieve balance. After a while, your muscles learn the routine, and you build the stamina necessary for the sound body and the sound mind.
Start the Year on the Right Foot!
It’s always a great idea to start a new year by adopting a new habit. And, if this habit contributes to your mental and physical health, and helps your self-improvement and personal development, isn’t that the right motivation to adopt it?
So, it’s time you downloaded that yoga app or went for that yoga class near your office. After all, if science tells you to go for it, how can you argue with that?
About the Author: Ryan is a passionate writer who likes sharing his thoughts and experience with the readers. Currently, he works as a digital marketing specialist, you can check his website here. He likes everything related to traveling and new countries.
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