Embrace The Mat
The practice of yoga has been written about since the first millennium BCE, and is a physical, mental, and spiritual practice that’s been practiced in Hindu, Jain, Sikh, and Buddhist faiths for thousands of years. Western yoga barely scratches the surface of the traditional practice of yoga, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a good addition to your daily routine. To learn more about the benefits of yoga, read on.
1. Improves Flexibility
It should come as no surprise that flexibility is the first benefit on this list. Yoga gives your body the opportunity to stretch out and work on any tense muscles you may be feeling. Being limber is good for desk work and more physical work, as repetitive motions can make your body feel stiff.
2. Reduces Stress
The controlled breathing during a yoga flow can help take your body out of a fight or flight response. This familiar stress hormone, called cortisol, is lowered, which is essential in today’s day and age.
3. Helps With Sleep
As previously mentioned, yoga will take you out of go mode, triggering the parasympathetic system. A gentle nighttime flow will prepare your body for sleep, calm a racing mind, and may even reduce sleep disturbances.
4. Improves Balance
Between strengthening core and leg muscles, improving your proprioception, and helping you achieve a deeper awareness of yourself, you will find you’re not losing your footing nearly as much. Most of us aren’t tripping over ourselves, but you’ll definitely feel more sure-footed.
5. Can Help With Pain Relief
This goes hand in hand with strength and flexibility. Regularly practicing yoga will reduce muscle tension, improve your posture, and may help lessen pain perception. You can also use yoga to help release gas, if that’s what’s causing you trouble.
BATCH by Wisconsin Hemp Scientific on Unsplash
6. Enhances Mental Clarity
The purposeful movement and breathwork performed during a yoga session can help new brain connections related to attention and memory, which we could all use a little bit more of. The meditative act of yoga can also help clear your mind, reducing any negative or scattered thoughts. After you’re done with your session, you can approach those thoughts with a new angle.
Nubelson Fernandes on Unsplash
7. Improves Strength
Yoga poses are either static or isometric, and holding a yoga pose for an extended length of time can help build endurance and muscle strength. Even if you’re only doing yoga to relax, you’re still getting a bit of a workout in.
8. Helps With Coordination
Like we said before, yoga helps with proprioception, which refers to the body’s ability to sense its position within a space. The countless positive neuromuscular connections forged through yoga will make you feel more in tune with yourself and your surroundings.
9. Heart Healthy
Yoga is well-known to be a heart-healthy activity, as it helps to lower blood pressure, cholesterol, stress, and anxiety. Not to mention, you’ll be improving your lung capacity and respiration with all that breath work.
10. Helps You Be More Present
Yoga practitioners often ask you to check in with yourself, see how your body is feeling at that current moment, and ask you to leave your problems at the edge of the mat. A daily act of grounding, a moment of calm, and feeling present in your body will bring you back to yourself, so to speak.
1. Mountain Pose
Tadasana is a standing yoga pose that is foundational for your practice. You stand with your legs about hip-width apart, equally distributing your weight across your entire foot. Even a simple standing position engages your entire body and is usually practiced at the beginning of a session.
2. Downward-Facing Dog
Adho Mukha Svanasana is a well-loved yoga pose. It strengthens your wrists, arms, and shoulders while stretching out your hamstrings, calves, and spine. It’s especially helpful for upper back pain.
3. Child’s Pose
Balasana is a pose you’ll often return to after a more complex or difficult flow. It requires you to fold forward in a kneeling position, with your forehead touching the floor. This pose is deeply relaxing and stretches your back, hips, and thighs.
4. Warriors
There are several different warrior poses with varying levels of difficulty, so for our purposes, we’ll discuss Warrior I and II. Warrior I is a lunge position with your arms overhead, and is beneficial for opening your chest and hip flexors. Warrior II is a wider lunge with your arms extended to your sides, and it helps with strengthening legs and ankles.
5. Triangle Pose
Trikonasana is a standing pose in which you hinge at the hip, touching one arm to your foot and one arm reaching to the sky. It’s excellent for strengthening your legs, core, and spine, but also effectively opens your hips and shoulders.
6. Cat-Cow
This alternating pose involves arching and rounding your spine as your head lifts and tucks, and is often done with corresponding breaths. The pose can help with core and back pain, and is an excellent warm-up movement.
7. Butterfly Pose
Baddha Konasana requires you to put the soles of your feet together, letting your knees fall open to the sides. This pose can be done seated or lying down, and stretches your hips, inner thighs, and groin.
8. Tree Pose
Vrksasana is a standing yoga pose that aims to improve balance and stability. Standing on one foot with your other foot nestled into the side of your leg will help you get a sense of how good (or bad) your balance is.
9. Cobra
Bhujangasana is a backbend pose, in which you lie on your stomach while gently lifting your chest off the floor. This pose does wonders for your spine, engages your core and leg muscles, and opens the heart, chest, and lungs.
10. Garland Pose
Malasana is a deep squat pose that stretches your ankle, calves, hips, and groin muscles, while strengthening your back and core. It’s well-loved for releasing lower back tension, improving hip mobility, and even aiding digestion.
lululemon athletica on Wikimedia
KEEP ON READING
