Health encompasses physical, mental and psychological aspects of human and it is very essential that the body is in a state of equilibrium with its internal and external environment. Aquatic Yoga is an essential tool in healing involving the preventive aspects.
Performing physical rehabilitation and exercise in water utilizes several principles which have benefits that will speed up recovery, boost muscle performance, as well as reduce acute and chronic pain.
This article highlights several benefits of aquatic yoga on health — based on medical research.
1. Improves the quality of life of the obese
Aqua Yoga has been shown to be effective in improving the quality of life of an obese person in terms of five aspects. They are: physical functioning, general health, social functioning, mental health, and health transition.
Weight reduction is the main goal in obesity management. This is in order to maintain adequate weight for health, reduce excess stress placed on the joints; as well as reduce the risk of heart diseases resulting from obesity, such as atherosclerosis, hyperlipidemia, myocardial infarction. Heart diseases could prove fatal to health if left unchecked.
Experts suggest that swimming pool workouts burn more calories in a shorter period of time. Pool exercises for fast fat burning are said to be one of the most effective ways of losing weight. Losing weight can be fun and less stressful for joints with aquatic exercises.
2. Rehabilitation of athletic injuries
Aqua Yoga is beneficial to athletes in returning their body to normal functioning after they sustain injuries either to the bone, ligaments or tendons in the body.
Rehabilitation is an essential part of medicine and very crucial if an injured part of the body is to return to its normal functioning. Especially if effectiveness and efficiency is to be restored in the body.
Athletes get injured a lot since they engage in activities that increase their chance of getting injured. Aqua Yoga is effective in rehabilitating the injured parts. Immersing the body in water helps to decrease the effect of gravity on the injured part and helps realignments.
Aqua Yoga reduces pain, allowing more range of movement, strengthens the muscles, improves balance and performance of the injured part. Clinical results show that athletes who participate in water rehabilitation and land based post-rehabilitation have better scores on postural control, indicating better balance.
3. Useful in the rehabilitation of mild to moderate heart failure
Aqua Yoga contributes positively to blood flow in the body. Blood flow is essential to the proper functioning of the body as it is the medium and carriage for oxygen and nutrients which fuels the body organs, tissues, and cells to carry out their functions efficiently and effectively.
Relaxing exercise helps venous return to the heart and improve cardiac output to support extremities and internal organs. When blood flow is effective and efficient, some health conditions can be prevented such as myocardial ischemia, thrombus formation, and several others. The production of red blood cells is increased and there is more hemoglobin available to carry oxygen into the tissues.
4. In preparation of the pregnant woman for delivery
Aqua Yoga is the perfect form of exercise for pregnant mummies! The gentle strength training will help the expectant mother to strengthen leg muscles, her dorsal and back having less pain during pregnancy and better support of the belly as it grows! Studies have shown that in those instances where women experience low-back pain, water therapy is an excellent option.
The hydrostatic pressure on the heart helps her to keep her cardiac pulse low and this is beneficial for giving birth smoothly. Immersing the body in water up to their shoulders off loads about 90% of body weight, which is quite a relief, especially in the last months of pregnancy as the weight of the belly increases!
During Aqua Yoga classes, special attention is given to breathing, which helps to better oxygenate the muscles and fetus during practice and prepares the pregnant mother for childbirth. Aqua Yoga also helps by decreasing daily stress, childbirth stress, reduces respiratory rate and blood cortisol levels.
5. It aids sleep
Sleep is an important part of the human, after going through stress from work, house, and any other social activities. Yoga has been shown to improve sleeping patterns in those suffering from difficulty in sleeping (insomnia), performing aqua yoga during the day or before going to bed can help relax the body and redistribute energy around the body which helps to fall asleep faster, sleep longer and falling asleep after waking up at midnight.
Aqua Yoga reduces stress and anxiety which predispose one to have insomnia thereby improving sleep, and also reduces pain which can keep someone up for long and allows the brain to be more focused on telling the body to fall asleep.
After performing Aqua Yoga, you will surely sleep like a baby because it will calm your mind and emotions.
6. Improves lung function
The lung is an important organ necessary for breathing, without which it will be impossible for man to take in oxygen and give out carbon dioxide. Aqua Yoga is useful to patients with heart problems such as congestive cardiac failure by helping them tone and strengthen their lungs in water.
The density of water provides a safe environment for gentle strengthening of our breathing muscles.
Healthy lungs play an important role to keep many diseases at bay. You can easily improve the health of lungs by practicing Aqua Yoga.
7. Good body alignment
Aquatic Yoga offers us both physical and mental advantages. In the water, we cultivate length in our muscles. It gives us good core strength and postural control which helps with body alignment, and improve the capacity of balance receptors in the body lowering the risk of falling down.
On a deeper level, it helps the mind to relax and also the chi(life force) within us flow uninterrupted, thereby relieving anxiety and stress.
Aqua Yoga can help you find balance, emotionally, mentally and physically. It is a total mind-body workout that combines strengthening and stretching poses, movements with deep breathing and meditation.
Ready to learn more about Aqua Yoga? Watch these videos.
Have you tried — or are you planning to try — Aqua Yoga?
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About the Author:
Linda is a Living Foods Specialist, Hatha Kundalini Yoga & Aqua Yoga Teacher. Since 2010, she had been leading Hatha Transformational Yoga & Meditation classes, 200 hour and 300 hour Yoga Teachers Training Certification (Yoga Alliance India) in Singapore. She founded 1Aquayogaschool in 2017 and pioneered Aqua Yoga classes in Singapore. © 1AquaYogaSchool
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