30 Benefits from which Yogis benefit

1. Yoga gives a good feeling - that's easy!

Select a class and approach things with an unbiased – you will feel different, more open, present and happier. Try it out!

2. Yoga increases your flexibility

In order to achieve more mobility, it is worth practicing Yoga regularly and consistently to build up a muscle memory; but leave you time and have patience!

3. Yoga improves your strength

Yoga is not only about stretching and bending, but it also requires an astonishing amount of strength. Physical strength is important to prevent injuries, strengthen the immune system and metabolism and facilitate everyday tasks.

4. Yoga strengthens your immune system

Through the twists, reversals, bends and calming in yoga, the body can spend more time with the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digestion) and less with the sympathetic nervous system (fighting or refugee system that causes stress and inflammation and the immune system dramatically weakens).

5. Yoga helps you to concentrate

In Yoga it is said that by practicing one develops the concentration on one point. You train the mind to become conscious and present. Studies have shown that after a Yoga lesson, one is generally better able to focus your mental resources, process information more accurately, and also learn, retain and retrieve information more effectively.

6. Yoga changes your energy

Try with ten rounds of Surya Namaskar or some Kapalabhati Pranayama, and note the energizing effect on your nervous system. Just a few minutes of asana practice can rebalance the nervous system, calm the mind and show a different perspective.

7. Yoga boosts metabolism

A morning Yoga practice helps to get blood, breath and muscles in motion even before breakfast, so that the nutrients from the food can be better absorbed. A strong practice can support muscle building and significantly boost metabolism. Complete and deep breathing increases circulation and helps the metabolism to stay on your toes.

8. Yoga removes fears

Flat breathing, poor posture and tense muscles are both the consequences and causes of anxiety. If you are stuck in a fear cycle over a longer period of time, your body has probably learned to protect itself by staying tense, physically closing itself off and breathing very briefly and sharply. The mind and body are so closely connected that a deepening of breathing, an improvement in posture and a relaxation of the muscles in a safe space can help to reduce fears.

9. Yoga helps you to become more mindful

Mindfulness is currently on everyone's lips and has become a billion-dollar business with all the apps, downloads, courses etc. However, mindfulness does not mean that you meditate for a long time, nor does it have to be something profound that is difficult to hold out. Being mindful simply means paying a little more attention to every action in order to be more present, conscious and alive at every moment.

10. Yoga soothes the skin

The skin is one of the first places in the body that shows signs of stress and nutrient deficiency. Through a combination of some of the calming aspects of Yoga, such as pranayama and meditation, and an active Yoga practice, the body and all its systems are better circulated, and the reduced level of stress can even help to reduce diseases such as acne and eczema.

11. Yoga gives you time for yourself

A little time for yourself is extremely important – especially for those who spend their lives taking care of others. Giving others is an important aspect of life and helps us to feel connected to the world around us. However, in order to be able to give, we must first be fed up. As Gandhi (and Jimi Hendrix) said, "If you want to change the world, change yourself first."

12. Hydrate your spine

A safe and healthy movement of the spine promotes the release of synovial fluid into the spinal column. In the morning, the spine contains a little more of this fluid, but in the evening the spine is more compressed and "dehydrated" (therefore we are somewhat "shorter" in the evening). Spinal extensor poses such as the downward-facing dog and reversal positions can help to give some moisture and life back to our important spine.

13. Yoga increases brain performance

A movement that is different from our everyday patterns helps the brain to work harder and can help to keep the brain healthy. Rotating asanas and all the exercises in which the limbs are crossed over the body are fantastic to balance the hemispheres of the brain. To balance things every day, practice Nadi Shodhana, the "channel cleansing attack," which helps to balance the brain and calm the mind.

15. Yoga helps you to breathe better

The emphasis of breathing in Yoga is something with which beginners often have difficulties, but over time movement with the breath becomes the second nature. The ability to breath more completely and deeper can have a very profound impact on overall health and is worth practicing every day.

16. Yoga helps you to stand upright

Like most of the population, you'll probably spend part of the day huddled together over a desk, a screen phone or a steering wheel. This bent posture reinforces the kyphotic curvature of the thoracic spine and makes the ribcage coincide, exerts pressure on the lungs, heart and lower back and is a safe way to get a bad mood. Even when you stand a little upright and open the chest, it can immediately have a positive effect on your mood and your overall well-being.

17. Yoga helps you to beat the blues

Exercise is one of the best ways to spread a good mood, and Yoga is a particularly effective means when it comes to fighting depression. Yoga taps the nervous system and helps to release hormones that improve mood. Focusing on something positive every time we practice Yoga is also an effective way to impress this positivity into the mind. 

18. Yoga improves your balance

Balanced Yoga positions help the brain to generate neurons that promote muscle memory and spatial consciousness, and the regular use of the feet in a daily Yoga practice can strengthen the more than 100 existing foot muscles!

19. Yoga helps to supply toxins

The inner and outer movement helps to move all lurking toxins and to free the body from them more quickly. Also consciousness and mindfulness to one's own thoughts can help to free the mind from "toxic" thoughts.

20. Yoga makes your feet free!

21. Yoga has anti-inflammatory 'properties'

Lower stress levels, better blood and oxygen circulation and an increase in the neurotransmitters of the happiness hormone contribute to reducing inflammation. Soothing pranayama practices, in which the length of exhalation is increased, can also be a way to greatly reduce inflammation.

22. Yoga helps to give meaning to the day

When we spend a little time in the morning an intention or focus on the day, it helps us to return to that intention every time we have to make a decision. It can also help us to become more aware of our actions, and can therefore give much more meaning to the day.

23. Yoga helps you to express gratitude

Traditionally, the Yogis stand up with the sun and make Surya Namaskar (the sun salute) to welcome the new day and to pay homage to the sun, the donor of warmth, light and life.

24. Yoga teaches you to know yourself 

Unlike sporting activities in the group, yoga is a very inner and personal practice. Even if you have practiced many other people in a class, the emphasis is on what is going on in you. Pratyahara is one of the "eight limbs" of Yoga and means that one directs one's senses and consciousness inward to learn more about one's body and mind. We have to live with this body and this spirit for a whole life, so it is worth taking time to get to know him and even make friends with him.

25. Yoga regulates your inner watch

By nature, the human being would stand up with the sun and sleep if it is dark. However, since the invention of electricity and the light bulb, we have been able to turn night into day, which means getting up, not always the best way to start the day. However, if you get used to getting up a little earlier, you will probably find that your inner watch is rebalancing and your sleep is improving. Ayurveda teaches us that the time between 10 pm and 2 o'clock is the natural rejuvenation time of the body and that one starts the day best when you get up just before sunrise and go out as quickly as possible to soak up natural sunlight as soon as possible. The hours between 6 and 8 am are best suited for "spiritual practice" and exercises such as asanas and walks.

26. More compassion

Man is born to be compassionate and feel emotions, but in the modern world we often feel more disconnected than ever. All our actions and even our thoughts have an impact on the world around us. Practicing love and compassion for others can do more than you expect.

27. Yoga helps you to perceive your body better

"Listen to your body" you probably have heard from most yoga teachers, but what does that actually mean? Each "good" Yoga practice promotes feeling instead of forcing, gradual progress instead of immediate profit and a mode of movement that is helpful rather than harmful. A study by the Psychology Department in Berkley, California, has shown that yoga practitioners have greater body awareness, a better sense of body sensation, and even greater physical satisfaction than people who do not practice Yoga.

28. Yoga helps you to accept what life presents to you

Yoga teaches us that everything changes. Both the positive and the painful things in life come and go. Knowing this and understanding it on a deeper level makes it easier to accept and remain present and positive, even in difficult times. 

29. Yoga gives you a natural finish

Instead of watching a movie or checking Facebook for the hundredth time, you should do a relaxing Yoga exercise. This type of practice is a very effective means of soothing the nervous system and thus improve sleep quality, help the digestive system do its job overnight.

30. Yoga is a lifelong lesson

The beauty of yoga is that it can be adapted to everyone. Whether you are a baby or a baby boomer, a teenager or a grandmother, everyone can practice Yoga. The task is often to find the type of practice that suits you and listen to your body.

Namaste

THE EGG Greece

Retreat Centre