Yoga is misinterpreted in so many ways. Some people don’t view it as a workout, but instead just stretching for a little while. Some people don’t like how slow it is. Some people don’t like holding poses for long periods of time, so they don’t bother trying. Yoga is a workout, but also so much more than that. Yoga is a practice that improves so many physical aspects of your body, but also provides mental benefits such as mental clarity reducing stress. Yoga can offer you so much if you just give it a try, so read more on why you should roll out that yoga mat!
Improves Flexibility
Flexibility is often the first thing people pair with yoga. Yoga involves a flow of movements and poses that force you to hold stretches for longer than you might choose. Some of these stretches may feel uncomfortable at first, but if you keep up the practice, they lead to improved flexibility. Overtime your body will get used to these stretches and you will be able to reach further or hold poses for longer. Flexibility is important because it allows us to move our bodies with less chance of injury. If you move quickly into a position that your body isn’t used to, it could result in muscle tears or broken bones. Your body is able to undergo more physical stress when you’re flexible because your muscles are used to similar movements or stretches. Flexibility also decreases muscle stiffness. When your muscles are stiff, it can be really uncomfortable, but implementing yoga into your routine can decrease how often you experience this discomfort. Flexibility keeps your body feeling young!
Builds Muscle Strength
Yoga involves a variety of unusual poses that force you to focus on the muscles you’re using. Even though you’re moving slower than other forms of exercise, your muscles might be burning even more because of how long you hold certain poses. This forces your body to engage specific muscles and start to feel the burn as you hold your muscles steady in that pose. You may use muscles that you don’t use anywhere else! Yoga has poses that I can’t imagine you would perform in any other aspect of your life, so it forces your body to engage muscles that you don’t use anywhere else. Yoga can help your muscles become strong and resilient, and is an exercise that you can keep practicing because it puts less stress on your body than other high impact workouts.
Improves Posture
Having bad posture can be the cause of your back, neck, and shoulder pain. Your head is basically a large bowling ball and sits on top of your neck, which is attached to your spine. When your head is lined up with a straight spine, then there’s significantly less pressure and stress on your muscles. When you start leaning or tilting your head, immense stress will be put on your supporting muscles, which can cause elongated pain or sometimes headaches as a result. Yoga is a practice where you are forced into good posture. Almost all of the poses require you to have a straight spine and your shoulders back. Yoga’s poses are quite specific and force you to challenge your body. If you’ve ever been in a yoga class, you may have seen the teacher fixing people’s posture or positioning to make sure they’re fully in line and engaging the correct muscles. This is for your benefit because doing poses the right way can immensely improve your posture.
Improves Balance
Have you ever tried to stand still in a tree pose? It’s where you lift one leg to rest on your thigh facing out to the side while your hands heart at your chest in a prayer pose. It looks so easy when we see other people do it, but it is much more challenging when we try ourselves. That is a classic pose in yoga that requires balance and focus. It’s easy to do a pose quickly, but being able to hold it for an extended period of time is where things get tricky. Yoga challenges your body to hold positions while your muscles might be shaky. Focus is vital to yoga because you have to balance your body in so many different ways. Balance helps you to be more aware of your body parts and how they move. This is important to decrease injury and prevent stress. Balance is important as we age because our body awareness and ability decreases, and balance lowers our chance of falling.
Happy Mind
Yoga forces you to move your body in unconventional ways, which can be challenging and unpredictable. When you’re moving in a flow, it forces you to fully focus on your body without distractions. There’s a million distractions and responsibilities thrown your way everyday, which can weigh heavy on your mind and body. Yoga gives you a place to put stress on a shelf. When you’re so focused on your body, you don’t have time to worry about the stresses in your life. Yoga acts as a release for your mind and body. For example, a lot of emotions are stored in your hips and when you stretch them in certain ways, it can release pent up emotion for people. You can also learn to let go of things that mentally drain you in yoga. Yoga teachers will often give you things to focus on when you’re breathing or moving in a flow. For example, when you breathe in imagine you’re breathing in a breath of fresh air, and when you breathe out imagine you are pushing out all the negative thoughts and energy in your body. Yoga is a practice based in gratitude, optimism, compassion, and tranquility. It was created to settle your mind and heart and find a higher version of yourself. When you finish a yoga session, you most likely leave feeling more grateful for your body and for your life. Take the mental clarity you receive from yoga beyond your practice and realize that the burdens of life don’t have to affect you as much as you let them. You have the power to choose how you act and how you let situations affect you. Yoga has so many positive mental benefits, so learn to carry them through life to continue the mental clarity and positive energy!
