Benefits of Hatha Yoga
Hatha yoga is an exercise that uses breathing techniques and physical postures to develop a better connection between the mind, body and spirit. The word HATHA itself is made up of 2 words: “HA” meaning sun and “THA” meaning moon. The sun is the positive current in our body and the moon is the negative current. Hatha is the balance between the negative and positive.
Hatha yoga has many different types, including passive and active exercises. But in the western world we normally associate this yoga with its passive forms. The yoga sessions involve different breath control exercises and meditation along with the yoga poses.
If you’re looking to take a hatha yoga class or doing it yourself, you’d be curious about what benefits this mind body-exercise can provide. Let’s look at some of the benefits of hatha yoga:
Core Strength
Strengthening your core muscles can not only improve your balance but also help in avoiding back pains. One study on hatha yoga’s effect on core strength found that doing the exercise for 21 days improves core strength. Another study found that the Downward Facing Dog, Chair and Warrior 1 poses strengthen different core muscles.
Stress Reduction
Stress is considered to be major factor in physical and mental illness. Research has shown that regularly doing physical yoga has substantial health benefits. Also, a single 90-minute session can significantly reduce perceived stress. For even better results – based on the study – you should hatha regularly. The research involved 63 females aged 40 to 60 years.
Flexibility
Keeping the body flexible can be a challenge as we get older. A research on older woman, aged 50 to 79, found that yoga increases the flexibility in our hamstrings and spine. The study participants did one 90-minute exercise session a week.
Body Balance
Different physical exercises claim to help with body balance. In a 5-month hatha yoga study, researchers found substantial evidence that the exercise can improve posture. The study involved men aged 25 to 55 years.
Cognition
Research shows positive effects of hatha yoga on our cognitive abilities. An 8-week study compared the effects of the yoga with stretching-strengthening control in older adults. The yoga group performed much better “on the executive function measures of working memory capacity” among other metrics.
Yoga has been around for thousands of years. The hatha branch of yoga, with all its variations, can offer many mind and body benefits.