Practice yoga is a great way to strengthen your muscles and improve flexibility. It can also help you relax and relieve stress. Yoga can also increase your energy levels and improve your moods.
Practicing yoga can provide several physical benefits for people of all ages and fitness levels. These benefits include: improved flexibility, better posture, reduced back and neck pain, and more.
Improved Flexibility
Yoga stretches and strengthens muscles in the entire body. It also helps improve balance and flexibility, which is why many people turn to yoga for fitness. Practicing this form of exercise also reduces the risk of injuries and chronic diseases like high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes.
Moreover, research shows that practicing yoga increases muscle strength and endurance as well as cardiovascular and respiratory function. This may be because of the increased flexibility of muscle fibers and elasticity of connective tissue, as well as a positive effect on the autonomic nervous system.
Unlike other workout routines, which require an elaborate setup, you can practice yoga anywhere — all you need is a mat and the space to stretch and move your body. You can also take a chair yoga class, which is great for people who have physical limitations. The bow pose is a good example of an exercise you can do with the help of a chair.
Better Posture
Yoga poses strengthen muscles that support the spine, and stretching exercises help lengthen tight ones. Postural issues like an excessively curved back (kyphosis) or a swayback (lordosis), which often occur due to sedentary lifestyles, can be improved with regular practice.
In addition to improving posture, yoga helps develop a stronger core that supports the spine and other muscles. This strong core can help prevent injuries and strain.
Performing simple poses like mountain pose and the cat/cow flow can help improve posture. Other poses that are helpful for posture include crow pose, locust pose and cobra pose.
Practicing yoga regularly can help improve posture, but it’s important to remember that building muscle and correcting posture takes time. If you’re not seeing results after a few weeks of practicing yoga, consider taking a slower paced class or one that is geared toward beginners to avoid too much strain on your body. This will give your muscles a chance to build strength and flexibility over time.
Relieves Stress
Practicing yoga stimulates pleasure centers in the brain and activates your parasympathetic nervous system, which initiates calm and relaxation. This helps reduce the body’s stress response by lowering heart rate and blood pressure and slowing breath and digestion.
Studies show that yoga increases the levels of a chemical in your body called gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which decreases activity in parts of your brain associated with the fight or flight syndrome that is ramped up in people who are stressed and anxious. Yoga also has been shown to improve the length of telomeres, which are the structures that protect your genes and help maintain cellular integrity.
The beauty of yoga is that it is suitable for all ages and fitness levels, including sedentary individuals. It’s not about touching your toes or having the perfect posture; it’s about connecting to your mind, body and soul. It’s okay to start small and gradually increase your intensity as you become more comfortable with the practice.
Reduces Anxiety
Studies have shown that yoga can reduce the levels of stress hormones in the body. It also helps people feel calm by slowing down the breath and promoting a sense of peace and relaxation.
One study found that yoga improved symptoms of anxiety for those with generalized anxiety disorder, although it wasn’t as effective as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a type of talk therapy that helps patients identify and change negative thinking.
If you’re struggling with anxiety, try practicing yoga for a few minutes a day to see if it makes a difference in your feelings. Just be sure to consult with your doctor before trying any new physical exercise, and don’t push yourself past the point of pain or discomfort.
It takes time to retrain your nervous system, so stick with it—it’s similar to how long it might take you to learn to play a musical instrument! It’s also a good idea to get help from a therapist. BetterHelp has thousands of licensed therapists available to talk with you online, starting at $60 per week.