Yoga is an excellent form of exercise that can improve many aspects of your health, including flexibility and strength. It’s a great complement to other forms of workouts, too.
However, yoga is not considered an aerobic activity in the same category as walking, running, biking, or using an elliptical machine.
Improved Flexibility
A yoga workout can improve your flexibility as it incorporates stretching into the routine. Stretching improves blood flow, reduces stiffness, and increases joint mobility.
It also helps you avoid injury and stay limber. It’s important to stretch before and after any workout session.
As you progress in your yoga practice, you’ll notice that your flexibility increases over time. In addition, you’ll notice that your body feels stronger.
In a yoga class, you’ll likely be instructed on safe ways to gradually increase your flexibility and how to use props when necessary. You’ll learn about the benefits of Yin, Hatha, and Vinyasa styles of yoga, which are all great for increasing your flexibility.
As you begin to feel more comfortable with your posture, you may notice a sensation of being in tune with the spiritual element of yoga. You might even experience a feeling of deep relaxation and calmness as you begin to feel your muscles relax and release.
Strengthened Muscles
Yoga is a fantastic way to strengthen your muscles. This is because many of the poses require you to stretch out and tone your muscles, but then you must also use core and upper body strength to hold these postures for long periods.
This type of exercise is called progressive overload and is incredibly effective for building muscle, even without using weights. It works through the same principle as weight lifting but is a little less dangerous and a lot more fun.
For example, in a chaturanga (yoga push up) pose you’re sinking into your hips, tightening the core and glutes, raising your arms and engaging your quads all at the same time.
These are all the same muscles that are pushed to their limits through holding a pose for long periods, which builds muscle endurance and increases bone health. It can also increase your heart rate and help your metabolism as you sweat more.
Improved Posture
Yoga is a great way to improve your posture. It can help you build strength in your core muscles and prevent back pain by releasing tension from the shoulders, neck and spine.
It also helps strengthen your hamstrings, quadriceps, and abs. It can even strengthen the lower back, as long as you do it correctly.
During a typical yoga class, the instructor will guide students to focus on different aspects of body movement and alignment. This sense of awareness increases throughout the practice and can lead to improved posture in everyday life.
Many of the poses in a typical yoga class encourage the student to stand in a particular posture for longer periods of time, fostering good structural alignment. This habit can be maintained outside of the studio as well, reducing the likelihood that posture will deteriorate.
Stress Relief
Stress is a part of life, but it can get out of control quickly if it’s left unchecked. When you’re feeling overwhelmed, it’s important to find ways to relieve it fast.
A yoga workout is a great way to do this. It combines deep breathing and stretching, which can reduce cortisol levels, ease tension in the neck and other areas of the body, and train the parasympathetic nervous system to relax your body and lower heart rate and blood pressure.
It also helps you learn to balance your mind and body, which is essential for stress relief.
Whether you’re new to yoga or a seasoned pro, a gentle practice is a great way to help you combat stress. Yoga uses slow, deep breaths to reduce cortisol and encourages mindfulness exercises that can help you manage anxiety and stress over the long term.