I’m sure you’ve heard a lot about yoga and some of its benefits. While it might sound sort of a “trendy” thing, we can confirm that its practices are great for you on a foundational level. So for the sake of our sanity and your benefit, we’ll break down the core benefits of practicing yoga.
Weight Control
Are you looking to lose weight or just maintain your figure? We know a sound diet is the most important thing to achieve solid weight control, but exercise is also a great way to burn calories and allow for a more forgiving diet. You burn calories when practicing yoga, therefore decreasing your average daily caloric intake when practicing yoga regularly.
Hate going to the gym? Yoga is a great alternative!
You’ll Be More Flexible
Being flexible was never a bad thing, but people tend to overlook some of its core benefits. For starters, more flexibility guarantees a wider range of motion, which increases the effectiveness of all other exercising efforts moving forward. This includes strength training, sports, cardio and anything else you can think of. Let’s also not forget how important flexibility is with age. A lot of the stiffness and tightness older folks face could have been prevented by practicing yoga in their youth.
It Boosts Muscle Strength
Having to hold certain positions increases your strength in ways that you can’t really replicate with gym equipment. Muscle strength isn’t just convenient when helping your friend move, it’s actually very important as you age. Who’s really opposed to more strength anyway?
It’s Ideal For Toning Your Muscles
In addition to weight control and strength gain, you’ll see noticeable changes with the actual toning of your muscles after practicing yoga for a period of time. Perfect for getting ready for beach season in the springtime.
You’ll Be Preventing Injuries
More flexibility and a repeatedly increased range of motion tends to mean one thing – fewer injuries. Most pulled muscles are caused when the muscle fibers twitch and are overstretched. Regularly stretching and practicing yoga prepares the muscles for these actions, making them more capable of performing said actions. This is why people stretch before working out or playing sports.
Great For Cardiovascular Health
When people think of cardiovascular exercise, they think of a treadmill or a jog. These are examples of cardiovascular exercise, but not the only examples. To be honest, any extended use of muscles (the heart is a muscle, too!) is an example of cardiovascular exercise. When exhausting energy, you have to breathe harder, which makes it work more efficiently.
Excellent For Stress Management
While not the same thing, yoga is basically synonymous with meditation. They go hand-and-hand. Yoga is about learning mind and muscle control, as well as finding a connection between the two. The idea is to synchronize these elements of your body to achieve heightened states of zen. Maybe not “zen”, but your own version of it.
It’s Considered a Top Breathing Exercise
We all breathe every day (obviously), but there’s more to it than survival. Achieving a better breathing rate will reduce stress and anxiety and benefit many major organs in the process. Simply put, more effective breathing means more successful – everything!
Prepare To Have More Energy
Getting a solid amount of healthy exercise will help your body manage its energy reserve and build upon it over time. Stronger muscles, more flexibility and a better sleep routine are all byproducts of yoga and all will contribute to a more energized you.
A More Peaceful Mind
I’m sure you’re very busy and there are probably a million things going on in your head right now. That’s normal and while not ideal, is manageable with regular yoga practice. Investing just 10-20 minutes a day will give you the outlet to relax and focus on you. This will help you clear your mind and make space for a better tomorrow.
