subject: Meditation Is An Important Component Of Yoga Practice [print this page] The stereotypical first thing that comes to mind when you think of yoga practice is bending exercises done by people standing on yoga mats and wearing leotards. While a large part of doing yoga means holding certain positions to build flexibility and muscle tone, there is another part that works with the breathing. This is meditation and even beginners have found extremely positive, healthy results from practicing meditation on a regular basis.
Yoga meditation has shown to be very helpful in achieving better sleep patterns. The deep breathing that comes with meditation results in lowering the heart rate during the period the individual is meditating, but over time this regulating of the body's blood flow will stay in effect even when the person is not meditating. This helps people get to sleep faster, which is great news for insomniacs, and provides them with a deeper and more restful sleep. Yoga works to free the mind from a lot of stress, which in turn relaxes the body.
Tests have also been done on prisoners participating in yoga meditation. What was found was that these individuals had less anxiety about their situation, and showed a marked decrease in aggressiveness towards others. As their behavior became far more socially acceptable, the effects of mental illness were also reduced, and long term effects such as an increase in the desire to participate in more positive activities, such as sports and educational pursuits, began to occur. Providing yoga information to prisoners could be a good way to encourage rehabilitation.
Studies have shown that people who do yoga practice as a way to deal with stressful work situations have a good chance of dealing with stress in a more effective manner. There is a lot of yoga information to support the practice of meditation to lower one's heart rate, which gives the body a chance to rest, and makes an individual more likely to respond faster in tough situations. People who practice meditation find that they can recall more information and focus more at work, all of which makes a better worker.
Doing yoga practice could be the best decision you've ever made. Most people only spend twenty minutes in the morning, and then another twenty at night meditating, yet the results are well worth this minimal time investment. The history of yoga is full of examples and studies that have shown how an individual's quality of life can be greatly improved by the positive effects that regular meditation can bring. There is no reason not to try it out for yourself, and see if your story can be included with the all the others who have found relief with yoga.
