Running. Cooking. Yoga. Life

Yoga has been practiced for thousands of years for health, rest, relaxation, stress management, etc.  There are many benefits of practicing yoga asanas, so here I’d like to list a few:

Flexibility

When some people think of yoga, they imagine having to stretch like a gymnast. That makes them worry that they’re too old, unfit, or “tight” to do yoga. The truth is you’re never too old to improve flexibility.  Also, just go as far as you can without straining.  All of us are individuals, and the goal is not about becoming a pretzel.

Yoga asanas safely stretch your muscles. This releases the lactic acid that builds up with muscle use and causes stiffness, tension, pain, and fatigue. In addition, yoga increases the range of motion in joints. It may also increase lubrication in the joints. The outcome is a sense of ease and fluidity throughout your body.  It also makes you less prone to injuries.

Yoga stretches not only your muscles but all of the soft tissues of your body. That includes ligaments, tendons, and the fascia sheath that surrounds your muscles. And no matter your level of yoga, you most likely will see benefits in a very short period of time. In one study, participants had up to 35% improvement in flexibility after only eight weeks of yoga. The greatest gains were in shoulder and trunk flexibility.

Strength

Yoga helps you tone your muscles, increase endurance, build stamina and core strength, and more.

Many of the poses, such as Downward Dog, Upward Dog, and Plank pose, build upper-body strength. This becomes crucial as people age. The standing poses, especially if you hold them for several long breaths, build strength in your hamstrings, quadriceps, and abdominal muscles. Poses that strengthen the lower back include Upward Dog and Chair pose. When practiced correctly, nearly all poses build core strength in the deep abdominal muscles.

Posture

I have far from perfect posture, but my posture has greatly improved since I took up yoga.  It has helped immensely, and I feel much more balanced.

With increased flexibility and strength comes better posture. Most standing and sitting poses develop core strength. That’s because you’re counting on your deep abdominals to support and maintain each pose. With a stronger core, you’re more likely to sit and stand tall. Another benefit of yoga is the increased body awareness. This heightened awareness tells you more quickly when you’re slouching or slumping so you can adjust your posture.

Breathing

Because of the deep, mindful breathing that yoga involves, lung capacity often improves. This in turn can improve sports performance and endurance.

Most forms of yoga emphasize deepening and lengthening your breath. This stimulates the relaxation response — the opposite of the fight-or-flight adrenaline boost of the stress response.  Yoga is also great for relieving stress in this way.  It calms the mind, and helps regulate your circadian rhythm.

Concentration and Mood

Concentration and the ability to focus mentally are common benefits you’ll hear yoga students talk about. The same is true with mood. Nearly every yoga student will tell you they feel happier and more contented after class. Recently, researchers have begun exploring the effects of yoga on depression, a benefit that may result from yoga’s boosting oxygen levels to the brain. Yoga is even being studied as an adjunct therapy to relieve symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Yoga is also great for keeping your heart healthy, massaging your inner organs, and it also promotes a healthy and flexible back.  It helps with weight loss if you need to lose weight, and it helps you gain weight if that’s what you need.  It balances your weight.  It’s also of course very calming and prepares you for meditation.  Overall, yoga is great for maintaining health, and I hope that you all take up yoga :). 

Namaste!

Lyla