Whether you’re unrolling your mat for the first time or reawakening a long-lost practice, it is important to come with an open heart and mind. Yoga offers a powerful way for women to support their bodies through physical postures, breathing exercises and meditation.
Women who do yoga have improved general health and musculoskeletal health, as well as better-rated psychological health compared to middle-aged women who don’t do yoga. This is thanks to yoga balancing hormones and improving sleep quality.
Increased Flexibility
Most people think of yoga as stretching but it offers more than just limber muscles. A healthy body needs flexibility in order to do everyday activities like reaching for a high shelf or turning around to check your blind spot. Yoga helps improve elasticity in both muscles and connective tissue through mindful movement, breath work and slow sustained poses.
According to a study done on college athletes, participants who practiced yoga for 10 weeks had more impressive improvements in both flexibility and balance than their NYG counterparts. The researchers attributed this to yoga’s holistic approach that targets multiple body systems at once rather than just individual muscles. One example of a pose that is great for increasing flexibility in the back and hips is Downward-Facing Dog. This pose is an excellent stretch for both the legs and arms and can be made easier by bending the knees or interlacing the hands behind the head. This is also a good posture for strengthening the core.
Enhanced Strength
Women’s contributions to yoga have shaped the practice, making it more accessible to a wider audience. They introduced a more holistic approach and emphasized its therapeutic aspects, which have made it a safe and effective form of exercise for people of all ages and genders.
The regular physical activity involved in yoga improves muscle tone and balance, which helps reduce the risk of falls and fractures as we age. The mindfulness and connection that develops from a consistent yoga practice also fosters emotional well-being.
Women who regularly practice yoga find relief from menstrual cramps and balance their hormone levels, helping to ease the symptoms of perimenopause and menopause. It can also help to manage stress and improve sleep quality, which are common complaints during these life stages. It can even boost energy levels and help with weight loss. Yoga improves posture and strengthens the back, easing aches and pains. It can also help with joint health and reducing the risk of osteoporosis.
Balanced Hormones
Women have to contend with hormonal fluctuations at every stage of life. Practicing targeted yoga for women helps make the changes and symptoms associated with puberty, pregnancy, menopause and perimenopause more bearable.
The calming effects of yoga can help balance hormones and reduce mood swings. Yoga can also help lower cortisol, a stress hormone that can cause weight gain and mood swings.
Hormonal imbalance can affect many different areas of the body for women, including pelvic health, gastrointestinal function, skin problems and more. It can even impact fertility for women trying to start a family.
Practicing woman yoga allows for a more holistic approach to managing symptoms, from easing menstrual pain and balancing hormones to reducing stress and improving sleep. The benefits are multifaceted and far-reaching, making this practice a must for any woman. The most important thing is to find a practice that meets you where you are at in your life. That could mean a restorative pose like Child’s Pose or Legs-Up-the-Wall when your energy is low during PMS, or a more active practice when you feel the energy rise during pregnancy.
Improved Sleep
Practicing woman yoga can improve sleep quality, especially for those with insomnia. Insomnia can have long-term effects on mood and function. In a study, researchers found that people with chronic insomnia who practiced Yoga for 6 months experienced subjective improvements in sleep quality and quality of life (QOL) as well as a decrease in the use of sleep medications.
The research showed that participants in the Yoga group experienced fewer sleeping disturbances, less difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep, less day time dysfunction, as well as reduced stress. This is in addition to objective improvements in sleep structure, as measured by actigraphy, which showed a reduction in the number of arousals.
Yoga can also help with restless leg syndrome, a condition that can cause painful or unpleasant sensations in the legs and feet while at rest. The body movements in yoga can help to calm the mind and promote relaxation, which is beneficial for RLS.