The quest to stay fit and healthy is one that requires commitment and dedication. Do you want to get into an exercise routine but don’t find a gym appealing? Are you looking for options to help you achieve an overall sense of well-being? Then yoga is an excellent option for you to consider.
Why Choose Yoga?
Yoga has been around for more than 5000 years, and it has outlived many, many workout fads. It might be almost impossible to find a workout routine that is as enduring as yoga.
One of the most significant advantages of yoga is that anyone can do it. No matter your age or fitness level, yoga can provide a variety of physical and mental benefits. While some forms of yoga may be intense, others are relaxing and gentle. It’s about choosing which style of yoga you decide to take up.
There are different modifications for every pose in every style of yoga to suit everyone from a beginner, a professional athlete, or even a couch potato!
Different Forms of Yoga
Examples of various yoga forms include:
Hatha The form most often associated with yoga, it combines a series of basic movements with breathing.
Vinyasa A series of poses that flow smoothly into one another.
Power. A faster, higher-intensity practice that builds muscle.
Ashtanga A series of poses combined with a unique breathing technique.
Bikram It’s also known as “hot yoga,” a series of 26 challenging poses performed in a room heated to a high temperature.
Iyengar A type of yoga that uses props like blocks, straps, and chairs helps you move your body into the proper alignment.
(WebMD, 2019)
The Benefits of Yoga
The Benefits of Yoga mainly improves flexibility and strength. The yoga postures or poses are called asanas. Yoga can improve strength as the asanas work on every muscle in the body.
Yoga asanas also help to improve your flexibility, increase mobility, and reduce stiffness. Practicing yoga can increase the elasticity of the muscles, tendons, and ligaments as they stretch. You will notice a gradual loosening, and your aches and pains are reduced as your body gets healthy and fit.
Practicing the high-intensity styles of yoga, such as ashtanga or power yoga can help to improve muscle tone. The lower intensity styles of yoga, such as Hatha or Iyengar, are great to increase endurance and strength.
Better Posture
Increased strength and flexibility directly impact your posture and improves it. You become more aware of your position and can notice and can make changes if you’re slumping or slouching. Poor posture causes back, neck, and other problems of the muscles and joints.
Reduces Stress
The practice of yoga reduces the level of the stress hormone, cortisol, in the body. High levels of cortisol can affect the immune system and lead to osteoporosis, depression, and high blood pressure. Yoga is known to calm and relax the mind. It can help reduce anxiety as some styles of yoga use meditation techniques. It also encourages you to connect to the present moment.
As you become more aware of your surroundings, it directly improves coordination, reaction time, memory, and concentration. Yoga is a great tool to keep stress, anxiety, depression, and fatigue in check.
Better Breathing
The breathing techniques in yoga are called pranayama. These techniques make you focus on controlling your breath through exercises. As you become more aware of your breathing, it helps you relax and improve lung functioning. Yoga improves circulation as it helps to move oxygenated blood to the cells of the body more efficiently.
Weight Management
One of the significant advantages of yoga is how it aids in your weight management journey. It’s important to remember that you do not need to practice the vigorous, fast-paced, or high-intensity forms of yoga to lose weight. Even the gentle styles of yoga can be beneficial to keep your weight in check.
Reduces Lower Back Pain
Lower back pain affects around 80% of adults at some point in their lives. It affects their ability to perform daily tasks, exercise, and sleep. Yoga may be a convenient and inexpensive way to provide some relief. (Medical News Today, 2019)
Yoga builds awareness, strength, and harmony both in the body and the mind. It has many amazing physical and mental health benefits. Yoga can not only make you look good, but it can also make you feel happier. All you need is a few minutes of your time every week to notice the positive impact on your health and well-being.
Works Cited
Watson, Stephanie. “Yoga: Benefits, Intensity Level, and More.” WebMD. WebMD, 08 Dec. 2019. Web. 17 Aug. 2020. https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/a-z/yoga-workouts
Nichols, Hannah. “The Research-backed Benefits of Yoga.” Medical News Today. MediLexicon International, 2019. Web. 17 Aug. 2020. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/326414#lower-back-pain
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