The benefits of Yoga

By: Lucía Vázquez

(iMujer Otra Medicina)

Yoga is not a sport. It involves much more than physical exercise: also a mental and spiritual wellbeing. Practicing yoga allows us to be healthier in every way, avoiding many problems and diseases from the first moment we took a class.

After a class

After your first yoga class you will improve your brain function: Just 20 minutes can increase your cognitive ability, concentration and memory. Decreases stress in the body, which also generates a smaller building proteins responsible for inflammation. And last but not least, a Norwegian study says yoga can alter gene expression in immune cells, allowing us to be more protected against diseases.

After a few months

After a few months of practicing yoga regularly, we note that our blood pressure is lower, especially if you suffer from moderate hypertension. The difference is also seen with other sports such as walking.

Research has found that, after practicing yoga for 15 weeks, it significantly improves lung capacity allowing to reach the maximum amount of air in the lungs after inhalation.

Yoga may also be good for your sexual health: increases arousal, desire, orgasm and sexual satisfaction. In women, yoga helps us to rediscover our sexuality.

Reduces chronic neck pain and back with just a month of practice.

 After a few years

If you have spent years practicing yoga, the body changes are large and very beneficial: you will reach old age with strong bones, as it prevents the loss of bone density. Not only avoids losing bone minerals, but we gain more by practicing yoga for at least two years. Besides, it helps us along life when we need to lose weight and stay in appropriate levels of body mass, regardless of how old we are. And yoga is part of a healthy life, reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases, keeping the heart healthy by lowering cholesterol, blood pressure and controlling blood sugar levels.

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Space and Health

There is no doubt that feeling good is a complete process, of eating well, exercising, being productive and resting well. But it is also essential to be in places and surrounded by things that make us feel peaceful and inspired. A space can make a difference to our mood; it can brings us vitality, or it can generate ourself the opposite.

Here are some examples of small places full of life:

(www.bohemianhomes.tumblr.com)

Concerns and obsessions

-My psychologist told me I have obsessive symptoms...

-Are you sure?

-I don't know, now I'm doubting...

By Angélica Figueroa Saldaña

The cingulate gyrus is the area of the brain that allows us to change our focus, moving from one idea to another, see the options we have in life, contain the feelings of physical and emotional safety, plus cognitive flexibility, which is the ability of the person to " let go ", adapt to changes easily, to handle problems successfully and do things in different ways, more creative and renewed.

Therefore, when this area of ​​the brain is affected, we tend to worry more, clinging to past ideas, getting stuck in thoughts and behaviors (obsessions), we tend to discuss more, we have eating disorders, anger and driving violence and, in some cases, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).

In order to maintain the mind calmed, it's important to be aware of our obsessive thoughts and respond to them differently.

Some recommendations that  Dr. Daniel G. Amen gives ( Change your brain change your life ) are:

Whenever you get stuck, distract yourself and return to the problem later (Sing your favorite songs, listen to music that produces positive feelings, go out and take a walk, focus on a word and do not let it into your head any other thoughts)

Write the problem and possible solutions (1. Write the concern, 2. Make a list of what you can do to solve it, 3.Make a list of what you can not do to solve it)

When you feel blocked , get advice from others.

Food interventions (Eating foods that increase serotonin levels, such as pasta, potatoes, bread, chicken, turkey, salmon, beef, peanut butter, eggs, peas and milk, which are rich in tryptophan)

Exercise (helps calming the concerns and increases cognitive flexibility)