Actually in India, the children are taught to address their Elders with "Numaste" here in the West, we pronounce it 'Namaste".  It is a greeting, it is respecting, honoring the person in front of you, recognizing their divine light, their truth, their love and inner beauty.  The children in India are taught that when the Elders come to visit, they say "Numaste" to them, in a sense asking for that person to share their light, wisdom and truth with them.  It is what connects to your divine space inside of you and therefore you recognize it in the other person.  If you think about it, the parents in India are teaching their children to respect their Elders because the Elders impart these qualities to the children.  After all where would we be without our Grandmothers and Grandfathers????  Most of us are in Awe of our Grandparents, they know it all, more than our parents do!  LOL

I can give you a clinical and/or text book answer, science is proving the benefits of yoga in many areas of our lives, but my personal experience is the best answer I can give you.

When I started practicing Yoga, I found it very difficult to sit still and listen to my breath.  The teacher told us to Feel what was going on inside our body.  Closing my eyes and not looking at what was going on around me, that was not easy either!

To top it off because of my physical condition at the time, I couldn't participate in the actual exercises, postures that were being practiced, I had to imagine myself doing them!  And we were supposed to keep our eyes shut!  I had to peek!

Learning to feel and listen to the sounds my body made internally was a challenge.  In the process as I forced myself to imagine and visualize myself doing the class with the others.  Slowly my body and my mind started to respond, it got easier, still working on it after all these years!  Practice makes perfect, and it is an ongoing process!

Learning to be still, feel and listen to the gentle whispers of my body and not my mind, I began to to let the internal chatter in my head go, paying attention to what I felt and redirecting my breath to areas in my body that were in pain or discomfort began to help.  My body began to responded.  I began to relax and not tense up when pain started to take control.

Little by little I began to feel better, learning that my body is not my mind or in control!  I believe if you are looking to feel better physically, mentally and spiritually Yoga can help you get there as well.  

I do not know enough yet to answer that question, but I believe and feel it is a tool that helps us find the answers.