What are the benefits of yoga for women? Positive impact on women's physical and mental health

How is yoga beneficial for women's health?

Women's yoga brings harmony to health and allows you to get rid of difficulties of various kinds. This happens by performing practical exercises that act on all three levels of the endocrine system - the hypothalamus, pituitary gland and ovaries. With the coordinated interaction of these levels, hormonal and biochemical processes proceed correctly.

What does women's practice provide and why is it needed:

• formation of correct posture, normalization of metabolism, getting rid of extra pounds;
• increasing muscle elasticity and flexibility if you do asanas such as Parshvottanasana, Adho Mukha Svanasana, Virasana, Virabhadrasana 1 and others on a regular basis;
• strengthening the immune system , increasing the protective barrier of the female body to common diseases;
• the skin is cleansed, becomes elastic, toned, tightened, the appearance of swelling and wrinkles is prevented;
• strengthening blood vessels , normalizing blood pressure, reducing blood viscosity, which reduces the risk of stroke;
• normalization of the hormonal system (including increased appetite goes away);
• improvement of blood circulation , blood supply with oxygen; cleansing cells of toxins, improving brain activity (an exercise with your head upside down, for example, Shashankasana, is suitable for this);
• the processes of rejuvenation of the body are launched;
• weakening of pain syndromes during menstruation and the premenstrual period;
• improved sleep , easy adaptation to stressful situations, relief from depression and anxiety.

Yoga has a powerful effect on the body, which becomes noticeable after just a month of regular practice.

The benefits of yoga for women

Many people think that the essence of yoga is physical training that develops flexibility, helps you lose weight and improve your health. Most women begin to practice yoga precisely to keep their bodies in good physical shape. But Indian practice is also aimed at spiritual development and allows for self-improvement. After all, being able to withstand stress and look at the world positively is so important for modern women.

Numerous scientific studies have confirmed the powerful healing effect of yoga - regular practices regulate the physiological processes occurring in the body and have a positive effect on all human organs.

Yoga has a special effect on the endocrine system. For representatives of the fair sex, it is a little more complicated than for men, so the benefits of practices for the female body are difficult to overestimate.

So, let's look at the main effects that girls and women can get from yoga.

Strengthening the immune system

In yoga, special attention is paid to proper breathing - when performing asanas and during pranayama (breathing exercises), you need to breathe through the nose, involving the abdomen and diaphragm in the process, slowly and rhythmically. This type of breathing helps:

• effectively cleansing the lungs of toxins;
• increasing oxygen levels in the blood;
• improving blood flow in vessels;
• stimulation of lymph movement.

Together, all this makes the immune system work more efficiently and allows the body to more easily cope with various infections.

Bends towards the legs (Uttanasana and Padahastasana), Setu Bandhasana (bridge pose), Matsiasana (fish pose), Halasana (plough pose) are considered the most beneficial for immunity.

Normalization of hormonal levels

Women are hostage to their hormones. Excessive or insufficient production of one of them can cause problems throughout the body. Performing certain yoga asanas (working the lower part of the body) activates the hormonal system: adrenal glands, ovaries, thyroid gland. This allows you to balance the production of hormones and improve women's health.

Yoga has a therapeutic effect for hormonal imbalances manifested in diseases of the reproductive system in girls and women:

• infertility;
• premenstrual syndrome;
• irregular cycle;
• painful sensations during menstruation;
• ovarian dysfunction.

Studies have shown that women who practice yoga have a 2-fold increase in their chances of getting pregnant.

Yoga classes are of particular value for girls during puberty, when hormonal changes begin to occur in the body. During menopause, practice helps women cope with such a difficult period more easily.

Improved posture

With incorrect posture, a woman’s appearance suffers: her chest becomes sunken, her stomach protrudes, and her gait is disrupted. Slouching also has negative health consequences:

• back and neck pain;
• hernias and protrusions of the spine;
• compression of internal organs;
• circulatory disorders.

The positive effect of yoga on correcting posture is known - asanas help strengthen the back muscles and eliminate deformation of the spinal column. They help improve the nutrition of spinal tissues, which prevents the development of osteochondrosis and the appearance of intervertebral hernias. Eliminating muscle tension relieves back and neck pain.

Increase libido

Having an active sex life is not only pleasant, but also good for your health. The practice of yoga has a beneficial effect on female libido and improves its quality.

Research from one of the US medical journals has shown that regular yoga classes increase sexual desire in women, increase the sensitivity of the genital organs, making orgasms brighter.

Yoga asanas strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, improve blood flow in them, and prevent uterine prolapse. Marjariasana, Kapotasana, Setu Bandhasana, Baddha Konasana are the best to increase female libido.

Anti-aging effect

Ancient yoga sutras say that “the benefits of yoga are its rejuvenating effect,” and performing inverted asanas can “turn back time.”

The practice improves the functioning of the pineal gland, which is responsible for the production of melatonin. This hormone has an antioxidant and immunostimulating effect. Its deficiency can lead to premature aging of the body.

Persistent, systematic exercise will help women get rid of the external manifestations of old age (wrinkles and gray hair) and internal ones (decreased performance, joint and back pain).

Development of body flexibility

Not every woman has a flexible and plastic body. Good stretching improves coordination of movements and allows you to quickly achieve the desired fitness results. Stretched muscles are less susceptible to injury and allow you to perform exercises with greater amplitude.

Yoga classes increase the elasticity of ligaments and tendons, allowing you to achieve grace and smooth movements. The effect will be noticeable not only during training, but also in everyday life.

Getting rid of migraines

Women suffer from migraines 3 times more often than men - it’s not for nothing that this disease is considered female. It is associated with the characteristics of the nervous system. Relaxing yoga poses (Balasana, Kapotasana, Shavasana) and breathing exercises help reduce and alleviate migraine attacks in women. To prevent headaches, it is useful to take Adho Mukha Svanasana, Tadasana, Viparita Karani poses.

After 3 months of regular yoga practice, the intensity of headaches decreases and the number of attacks decreases.

Weight loss

The significant advantages of yoga for women are losing weight and maintaining a good figure without grueling workouts. Yoga involves proper nutrition, and when you are in static poses, slow muscle fibers are activated, activating the burning of fat cells. In 1 hour of practice you can lose up to 400 kcal.

In addition, the practice helps improve the functioning of the digestive system and increase metabolism, which will also have a positive effect on weight loss.

Useful for weight loss:

• bending towards the legs (Paschimottanasana);
• extensions (Uttanasana, Parshvottanasana, Balasana);
• twists (Ardha Matsyendrasana, Parivritta Utkatasana);
• inverted poses (Sarvangasana, Shirshasana).

These asanas, more than others, help burn fat deposits and strengthen the abdominal and back muscles.

Stress management

During times of stress, the body's production of cortisol increases. When performing certain asanas and during meditation, the level of this hormone decreases. Therefore, regular practices help fight stress, prevent nervous disorders and insomnia.

Lesson after lesson, the woman becomes calmer and more balanced, her relationships with others improve, and many problems in family life disappear.

Women who practice yoga experience depressive disorders and nervous breakdowns much less frequently. When stressed, you can use relaxing asanas and meditation to calm down faster.

Eliminating the consequences of walking in heels

Many women are unable to give up high-heeled shoes, and their frequent wearing leads to serious problems with the knee joints, ankles and spine. Inverted asanas and poses aimed at stretching the muscles of the lower extremities improve blood circulation in the vessels, relieve fatigue and tension in the legs, and reduce swelling.

Preparing the body for childbirth

If the expectant mother practices yoga, the classes will help prepare the body for childbirth, ease the course of pregnancy, labor pains and the postpartum period. Research conducted by scientists among pregnant women practicing yoga has proven its positive effects on health:

• relieves back pain;
• reduces the manifestations of toxicosis both in the early stages (nausea and vomiting) and in the late stages (preeclampsia);
• strengthens the pelvic floor muscles;
• reduces swelling, feeling of heaviness in the legs;
• reduces blood sugar levels;
• reduces the formation of skin stretch marks.

You can do yoga at any stage of pregnancy, but only after consultation with a gynecologist and under the guidance of an instructor. Women who have not practiced before should enroll in specialized groups for expectant mothers.

What do classes provide on the mental and spiritual levels?

Calming breathing practices (Nadi Shodhana, Apanasati, etc.), relaxation techniques (meditation, Yoga Nidra, Shavasana) have a positive effect on a woman’s psychological health.

Women's psychology is a particularly sensitive area due to mood swings, emotional outbursts, and intense sensitivity. Yoga helps women explore their true nature and purpose, understand their real needs, learn to express them with dignity, without being influenced by external circumstances. A woman gains confidence in her strength, becomes optimistic, charismatic, and attractive.

Yoga, with the right and regular approach, begins to bring more and more pleasure from practice. It is not like a grueling workout, and therefore any woman can enjoy it.

What is good practice for the fair half of humanity? The spiritual component receives a powerful boost, and when a woman is metaphysically ready, a charge of personal development occurs with inevitable changes in the quality of life.

Harm and contraindications

If all the principles of performing asanas are incorrectly or insufficiently understood, a woman can harm her health, for example, stretch muscles, ligaments, damage joints, injure the spine and other undesirable consequences. If there are contraindications, you should definitely consult your doctor and receive appropriate recommendations.

Under no circumstances should you practice practical yoga under the following circumstances:

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• mental disorders;
• severe blood and heart diseases;
• the presence of low-quality tumors;
• spinal injuries, traumatic brain injuries;
• hypertension (stage 2 or 3);

You should temporarily limit yourself in activities when a woman:

• increased body temperature;
• painful symptoms or heavy discharge during menstruation;
• first trimester of pregnancy;
• heaviness in the stomach from overeating, full stomach;
• chronic diseases during exacerbation;
• period after surgery.

The benefits of yoga for older women

Over the years, the female body ages, vital processes slow down, and there is less and less energy and strength even to carry out everyday activities. Having learned the essence of yoga, women can prolong their youth and turn back time.

Yoga is very beneficial for women over 50 years of age. Performing asanas and breathing practices help to get through menopause more easily. Regular exercise allows women to improve their health:

• normalize blood supply and nutrition to organs;
• increase the level of female sex hormones;
• make the body stronger;
• reduce headaches;
• improve joint mobility;
• stimulate metabolism, which slows down with age;
• normalize blood pressure;
• eliminate neck and back pain;
• restore vitality.

After a few months of regular yoga practice, you can get rid of many ailments associated with old age, and even at 60 years old, return to an active lifestyle: travel, dance, take long walks.

In a set of yoga exercises for women over 50 years old, you can include all the asanas for beginners and, if health allows, gradually complicate them.

In addition to physical rejuvenation, yoga also gives spiritual youth. Meditation helps to harmonize the chakras, which affect mood, strengthen the spirit, increase vitality and have a positive effect on health.

If a woman has not practiced yoga before, then she should practice it in old age carefully, under the guidance of an experienced instructor. Due to the osteoporosis inherent in most women aged 50-60 years, as well as problems with joints, some poses are contraindicated and can be harmful.

Tips and exercises for beginners

Before you start practicing, you need to choose comfortable clothes and a suitable yoga mat, according to your preferences and external characteristics. It is recommended to choose a high-quality lightweight mat with anti-slip properties.

The following exercises are useful for women to perform, and, moreover, they are suitable for beginners:

• Janu Sirsasana (head to knee pose);
• Vrikshasana (tree pose);
• BaddhaKonasana or butterfly pose;
• Virabhadrasana - hero pose;
• UpavisthaKonasana – sitting bend with feet wide apart;
• Halasana or plow pose;
• Marjariasana – stretching cat pose;
• Sarvangasana - shoulder stand or birch;
• Paschimottanasana – bending towards the legs while sitting;
• Matsiasana or fish pose;
• Shavasana - relaxation in the dead body pose;
• Yoga mudra is a pose of mental unity.

Very important! You can start exercising only after warming up to warm up your body.

Rules for practicing yoga for beginners

The rules regarding classes are indicative in nature, since the practice of yoga is very dependent on the individual characteristics of the body. General recommendations may concern:

1. Eating before and after yoga classes. Yoga practice should be performed on a light stomach: food should be eaten no later than two hours before class. After classes, it’s enough to wait half an hour: the body needs a smooth transition to a new type of energy that food provides.
2. Drinking. Drinking water is encouraged, but not during asanas. However, pranayama requires limiting the consumption of water before class. The exception may be a small amount of hot or warm liquid.
3. Water procedures. Before practicing yoga, it will be useful to take a warm or cool shower. After classes, a shower is not necessary, unless dynamic practices were performed, after which sweating is possible. Taking a hot bath or sauna (both before and after a session) can negate all the benefits of yoga practice.
4. Newbie mistakes.
   You should not strive to perform asanas “perfectly” or perform complex twists at once: it is more important to learn to find “contact” with the sensations of the body. It is better to start any yoga pose with a lighter version, gradually increasing the depth of the asana as the strength relaxes. Important! You can get harmed by injury to muscles and ligaments in the practice of asanas only if you ignore the sensations and prompts of your body.
5. Food quality. As you practice yoga, the body itself will require changes in the menu, especially if the diet contains heavy foods. It is better to focus on fresh organic food, with a reasonable addition of spices as natural food additives.

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