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Yoga and the Mind

Good Essays

“Conquer the mind and you can conquer anything.” That is a popular saying amongst Yogis (yoga instructors) very few people recognize the truth and meaning behind this statement. There is a clear connection between the health benefits associated with yoga having to do with the body, power strength, balance, flexibility. Few people are aware of the multiple benefits it can serve for the brain and mind as well. Is there a clear benefit and connection between mind and body when practicing yoga? “Yoga can supposedly improve depressive symptoms and immune function, as well as decrease chronic pain, reduces stress, and lower blood pressure. These claims have all been made by yogis over the years, and it sounds like a lot of new age foolishness. Surprisingly, however, everything in that list is supported by scientific research.”(psychologytoday.com) The main struggle in yoga is to overcome the challenge, each pose is challenging, and your goal is to breathe and remain calm throughout the struggle and to find your inner peace and keep going. This is a strong concept to conquer; the mind of course often does whatever it wants. The true gain one finds is when one does overcome the struggle; it is the process where one benefits. Studies have shown a correlation between yoga and how one handles stress. Yoga retrains your brain in how it reacts to the automatic stress response.( Korb) When the body first senses stress, the first reaction is to quit and to become tense and

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