While yoga is often considered a low-impact activity, it’s still a form of exercise and can lead to injuries just like any other physical movement. It’s important to learn the basics and not push yourself too far.
If you have a health condition, such as diabetes or high blood pressure, talk to your doctor before starting yoga. It is important to know which poses to avoid based on your health condition.
Improved Posture
Good posture isn’t just aesthetically pleasing; it evenly distributes body weight, minimizes strain on joints and improves breathing capacity. It’s also an essential component of yoga, since many poses call for good form. Practicing yoga frequently can help you correct poor posture and develop a more positive attitude toward your body, as it builds awareness of your alignment.
Yoga may also strengthen muscles around the joints, reducing strain and improving stability over time. It’s a good option for people with musculoskeletal disorders, as gentle styles of yoga increase flexibility without putting additional stress on the bones and joints.
Depending on the style of yoga you practice, it can also include deep breathing techniques called pranayama that promote better postural alignment by expanding the lower abdomen and chest during inhalation and contracting the back during exhalation. This type of breathing can also reduce anxiety and foster mental calmness.
Strength and Coordination
Practicing yoga strengthens your muscles, as the poses often require you to hold a pose and move the body through its range of motion. This builds muscle strength over time, which can help you make everyday movements more fluid and decrease your risk of injury from tripping or falling over a curb for example.
Yoga also improves balance. Many yoga poses focus on grounding firmly in the feet and legs, as well as strengthening the core, to achieve balanced movement. This improves balance over time, making it easier to maintain your center of gravity in simple movements like balancing while walking or sitting.
Yoga can lower blood pressure and slow the heart rate, which can benefit people who have high blood pressure or a history of stroke or heart disease. Additionally, the deep breathing and mindfulness meditation components of yoga can reduce stress, which may improve immune system function. Studies on yoga and other mind-body practices have shown that they can increase feelings of compassion and interconnection, which can improve relationships with others.
Stress Management
Modern life is rife with stressors that can lead to chronic health issues including a variety of physical symptoms. Incorporating regular yoga practices can help manage and alleviate some of these stresses.
Several scholarly inquiries indicate that yoga may have salutary effects on psychological stress and stress reactivity. These findings include a decrease in GSR (galvanic skin response) activity indicative of muscle relaxation and an increase in the activity of the parasympathetic nervous system, which is associated with reduced stress levels.
The meditation, deep breathing and body awareness involved in yoga can encourage a more positive frame of mind, reduce negative thoughts and feelings, and promote overall emotional well-being. Some studies have found that elements of yoga such as interoceptive awareness, mindfulness, self-compassion and gratitude have direct, measurable impact on psychological stress and stress reactivity. However, the specific mechanisms of yoga’s effects on these psychosocial processes are yet to be fully understood. This deserves further research to clarify and elucidate the complex pathways of yoga’s potential impact on stress.
Better Sleep
Yoga is restorative and helps calm the body, promoting sleep. It also teaches you to slow the breath, focus on the present moment and relax. Practicing yoga before bed can help you fall asleep faster and improve your sleep quality. It may also ease other sleep concerns, such as snoring and insomnia.
A study found that elderly people who practice yoga regularly have a better quality of life and sleep than those who don’t do yoga. However, the study was only a cross-sectional survey and did not include interviews.