Yoga is an ancient form of exercise and has numerous benefits. Hollywood celebrities started endorsing yoga in a big way some years back and the next thing you knew it was the ‘in’ thing for the coffee party crowd. Yoga is known to help various ailments, including weight loss, blood pressure, sinusitis problems, depression, aches and pain, etc. It helps bring harmony into your mind, body and soul. In this article, we’ll list out a couple of things yoga is great at treating, maybe it might be the motivating factor to get you started onto a whole new holistic way of life.

• Anxiety — Yoga is a kind of meditation, and the slow breathing techniques involved helps considerably lower anxiety attacks and other stress related issues; including asthma. Research indicates that people who regularly perform yoga have a decreased level of the stress related hormone cortisol as well.

• Arthritis — Patients suffering from this painfully debilitating disease find much comfort and relief in the gentle exercises. Deep pressure in the proper joints and the breathing and relaxation techniques help ease the tension in muscles and joints which helps considerably as well.

• Back Pain — There are two poses involved to soothe back aches: one helps soothe back muscles so as to avoid future pain and the other helps target lower back pain, one of the most common back ailments.

• Bloating — It is said that abdominal twists not only help the abs but also aid in digestion as well as regular bowel movements.

• Energy boost — Practising yoga regularly will help boost your energy levels and kick start your day in a way caffeine can never do. The stretching and breathing exercises involved in yoga help invigorate not only the mind but also the body.

• Headaches — Instead of popping some pain killer, try lying down and stretching out into some yoga poses specifically designed to banish headaches; these involve deep breathing and emptying out all your thoughts and connecting to your inner self.

• Hormonal imbalance — Yoga helps balance out the endocrine system and all the glands involved. Improved blood circulation in all parts of the body helps women suffering from imbalances whether its pre or post menopause; it greatly helps women to manage symptoms like hot and cold flashes as well as weight gain.

• Hypertension — The relaxation and deep breathing techniques of yoga help regulate blood pressure in conjunction with medicines.

• Insomnia — Yoga helps improve blood circulation in your brain as well as body. Yoga helps in sleeping more restfully as it benefits the nervous system. There is something known as Yoga Nidra which involves closing your eyes and meditating while using peaceful imagery so that after a 40-minute session you come out feeling refreshed like you just got up from one short power nap.

• Mood swings — Yoga is known to elevate moods. Some of the poses involved help release endorphins — the feel-good hormone and help alleviate depression and other mood swings. According to research Yoga works in conjunction with other anti-depressant medicines and helps combat depression effectively.

• PMS — Some of the combination stretches involved in yoga help ease abdominal cramps and the likes and since it reduces overall stress, it helps in easing out PMS symptoms.

• Shortness of breath — People suffering from various respiratory diseases find tremendous help in managing their disease in yoga. It teaches you how to breathe in the right manner and cuts down the stress level that triggers the shortness of breath.

• Sinus — Yes yoga helps ease off sinus pressure as well; the positions involved help sufferers of sinusitis to unclog and drain the mucus that is problematic.

• Weight loss — Regular yoga helps regulate your weight. It helps burn fat and increase muscle tone as well. A lot of the times weight increases due to hormonal imbalances; yoga helps stimulate hormonal glands such as the thyroid gland (the imbalance of which can cause major weight loss or gain).

There are many other benefits of yoga, you could almost say that yoga is the answer for everything under the sun, so why not invest in a good work out gear, a yoga mat and join the nearest health club offering yoga classes. There are different types of yoga to suit individual needs and personalities so you can alter your work out to find one that suits you.