Benefits of "Foundation Of Life"

FOL for Nervous System
Nerves from the brain and spine go to every tissue in the body and therefore the health of every tissue in the body depends upon the health of the brain and spine.
The headstand causes an increase in circulation to the brain, which stimulates the brain's nerve cells. This result in increased vitality and improved brain function (intelligence and memory).
Since the nerves from the spine go to all the organs and glands of the body, healthy spine obviously plays an important role in vitality and rejuvenates.

FOL for Glands
The most important are pituitary, pineal, thyroid, adrenal, pancreas glands. The pituitary and pineal glands are situated in the brain; the thyroid is in the neck area, the adrenals and pancreas in the solar plexus area.
The function of these glands is to secrete powerful hormones, which control your growth, weight and size. They also determine your metabolism, vitality, and emotional state.
Since the pituitary and pineal glands are situated in the brain, the headstand has a powerful effect on them.
Thyroid gland problems are very common and often go undiagnosed until the symptoms are very obvious. The shoulder stand is specific for the thyroid gland and will prevent and help cure thyroid gland problems.
The adrenal glands produce a variety of hormones such as adrenaline and cortisone that are important in controlling your stress and immunity. The twist posture is a powerful stimulant to the adrenal glands, causing them to release extra energy to boost your vitality level.

FOL for Internal Organs
As well as having a dramatic effect on the brain, spine and glands, most asanas also benefit the internal organs by massaging and stimulating them. These results in healthier internal organs that will function better and last longer.

FOL for Digestive System
Even if we eat the most nourishing food, it still has to be digested and assimilated properly and the toxins have to be eliminated efficiently. As we get older the digestive system functions with gradually reducing efficiency. The asanas result in an improved blood and nerve supply to the digestive and eliminative systems, which in time will get them functioning at peak efficiency.
The stomach lift massages the digestive organs, as well as contracting and stretching them.

FOL for Joints
The stretching of the joints in asanas causes the secretion of a lubricant called synovial fluid. This is released into the joints and keeps them supple, as well as removing waste products. The result is to reduce stiffness, which will prevent arthritis or improve it if you already have the condition.

FOL for Skin
Stretching of the skin during the asanas causes stimulation of the skin cells. This results in firmer, healthier skin, which won't sag or wrinkle.

FOL for Flexibility.
Increasing your flexibility with yoga leads to more ease of movement and fewer injuries. It enables you to move more freely with a greater range of motion. The more freedom your body has to move into the positions necessary for your sport(s), the more quickly you can do so, with less effort, strain of risk of injury.

FOL for Balance.
Many sports, because of their quickness and/or concentration, require your body to be able to move in any direction with ease within a split second. If your body is off balance and the upper half of the body feels disconnected from the lower half, your response time increases. Many yoga postures require you to find your center that is your balance. Through the conscious practicing of balancing postures, your body learns where its center is and how to find it rapidly.

FOL for Mental Focus.
Many athletes will share that they play a mental game; either their mind was or wasn't "in the game." Yoga teaches the discipline of being present in the moment through the physical postures and breathes work. In learning to hold postures, you automatically become clearer in your mind. You learn to focus on what is happening that moment in your body, breath and mind. This skill of learning to be in the moment will not only help improve your athletic game by allowing you to stay focused on the task at hand, but it will also help bring more joy into your life.

FOL for Strength.
Yoga uses your own body as the weight you lift or hold. Many yoga postures require many major and minor muscle groups to be used simultaneously. In some it feels like every muscle in your body is being used! This is much different than traditional weight training in which you isolate one or two muscle groups per exercise. The strengthening in yoga requires your entire body to be working as a unit so the strengthening of one muscle group is connected to that of another muscle group. This improves your overall sense of strength from a centered, connected place. You'll find it much easier to move quickly and effortlessly in sports when your whole body feels strong as a unit.

FOL for Mind/Body Connection.
 In yoga you learn to listen to your body through your mind and learn to quit your mind through your body. The breath is the essential tool used to unite body and mind. The word "yoga" means to yoke, establish a relationship with each other that affects every area of your life. The more you tune into the mind/body connection, the more awareness you have of your movement and your state of being. With this tool, you can assess where your mind is when you are playing your sport and draw your mind and body back into union if they become separate. This helps you prepare to be present in whatever sport you are playing.

FOL for De-Stress.
One of the quickest and most significant benefits of yoga is the effect it has on reducing stress. How does this affect athletic performance? When you are stressed out, your body holds onto that stress. It can be held in the neck, back, hamstrings, stomach, and head - just about anywhere. Tense muscles decrease flexibility and energy and increase pain and risk of injury. Yoga helps release stress in your body and mind so the body has more freedom to perform at its best with the least amount of pain.

FOL for anti-ageing.
Yogis look young even when they turn old because yoga involves less wear and tear of muscles. The muscle tone remains untouched leading to a very healthy skin. Yoga increases the antigens present in the body, and consequently the ability of the body to fight against disease. If all other system works smoothly, the immunity o f the body is automatically high because there are fewer toxins in the body. This prevents the body from falling sick. Aging is merely a state where the dying cells are greater in no. then the new cells being formed. Yoga stops the cells from dying and helps to enhance the growth of new cells, thus keeping the body toned and youthful.
Yoga works not only at the muscular level but at all levels of the body, to ensure that every aspect of the body's functioning is smooth, balanced an in equilibrium.