Yoga, an ancient practice and meditation, has become increasingly popular in today's busy society. For many people, yoga provides a retreat from their chaotic and busy lives, but yoga can have many benefits beyond the mat!

One benefit of yoga is gaining a better body image. Yoga develops inner awareness. It focuses your attention on your body's abilities at the present moment. It helps develop strength of mind and body.

Surveys have found that those who practiced yoga were more aware of their bodies than people who didn't practice yoga. They were also more satisfied with and less critical of their bodies. For these reasons, yoga has become an integral part in the treatment of eating disorders and programs that promote positive body image and self-esteem.

Another amazing benefit of yoga is that those who do it, become more mindful eaters. Mindfulness refers to focusing your attention on what you are experiencing in the present moment without judging yourself. Practicing yoga has been shown to increase mindfulness not just during the session, but in other areas of a person's life.

Researchers describe mindful eating as a nonjudgmental awareness of the physical and emotional sensations associated with eating. They developed a questionnaire to measure mindful eating using these behaviors:

• Eating even when full
• Being aware of how food looks, tastes and smells
• Eating in response to environmental cues, such as the sight or smell of food
• Eating when sad or stressed (emotional eating)
• Eating when distracted by other things

The researchers found that people who practiced yoga were more mindful eaters according to their scores. Both years of yoga practice and number of minutes of practice per week were associated with better mindful eating scores. Practicing yoga helps you be more aware of how your body feels. This heightened awareness can carry over to mealtime as you savor each bite or sip, and note how food smells, tastes and feels in your mouth. People who practice yoga and are mindful eaters are more in tune with their bodies. They may be more sensitive to hunger cues and feelings of fullness.

At SOL SPA, The World’s First 24 Hour Day Spa, we offer Hot Detox Yoga inside an infrared sauna. The combination of Detox Yoga and infrared heat will ensure you get the most of your 30 minute session, and beyond!

‍

Source: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog

‍

‍

Written By: Paige Stuart, VP of Spa Operations