Yoga classes are a great way to get physically fit and stress-free while gaining a spiritual experience. This eco-friendly studio has two NYC locations and offers in-person, online and pre-recorded yoga classes.
Core conditioning with postures that strengthen bone and muscle combined with balance work. This yoga variation also focuses on building body awareness through mindful movement and breath-to-movement synchronization.
Flexibility
Whether you’re just starting out or are an experienced athlete, improved flexibility can enhance your quality of life. This is because flexible muscles are more relaxed, allowing them to move with greater ease and reduce the risk of injuries.
Several studies show that yoga can significantly improve flexibility. For example, one study involved 26 male college athletes who took a yoga class twice per week for 10 weeks. They found that they had significant gains in their hamstring and erector spinae (deep back) flexibility.
Purple Yoga classes often include mobility-focused segments that promote joint and muscle flexibility. These movements are designed to warm the body up and prepare it for deep stretches.
Additionally, some yoga styles, like Yin Yoga, focuses on long-held poses to stretch deeply and elongate the muscles. Other yoga styles, such as Vinyasa Yoga, combines movement and breathwork to build strength and endurance. When you enter a yoga class, be quiet and respectful of those around you.
Strength
The yoga moves that build muscle tone and balance are similar to weight training. But unlike weight lifting, which increases the risk of injury, yoga’s postures are designed to avoid straining your muscles.
A vigorous class can burn 180 to 460 calories. While that may not be enough to keep you lean, regular yoga classes will build muscle mass and improve your strength over time.
In fact, some studies have found that a short, eight-week yoga program improves strength and endurance, flexibility, and cardiorespiratory fitness compared to sedentary controls.
Dynamic styles like ashtanga and vinyasa yoga are particularly effective at building strength because of their dynamic movements and rapid movement between poses. In addition, the balancing postures and isometric contractions in yoga can strengthen your muscles and help you build a stronger core. Warrior three, for example, is a pose that strengthens your legs, arms, and shoulders. Other strength-building yoga poses include chair, which strengthens the back and core.
Stress Relief
Yoga can ease stress and anxiety through direct benefits to the body and mind. On the physical side, yoga promotes a relaxation response that lowers heart rate; on the psychological side, mindfulness promotes a calm, observant focus that redirects attention away from negative thoughts and emotions.
Prolonged and chronic stress can cause a range of mental health problems, including gastrointestinal difficulties, sleep disorders and high blood pressure. Yoga can help to relax the mind and body by calming the autonomic nervous system and hypothalamic-pituitary axis, which are key stress response systems.
Practicing yoga also helps to reduce depression and anxiety by encouraging a healthy lifestyle that may improve dietary habits and increase social engagement. Moreover, participating in group classes can reduce loneliness as people practice together and offer support to one another. Improvements in self-compassion (or mindful self-kindness) have also been associated with reduced stress.
Mental Health
The physical movement of yoga, combined with breathing exercises, mindfulness meditation, and a focus on self-awareness can lead to improved mental health. Students who practice yoga learn to be more present and aware of their thoughts, emotions, and body. This helps them better regulate their feelings and cope with stress, anxiety, and depression.
Additionally, synchronized movements in yoga like Warrior 2 can stimulate a release of oxytocin – the hormone associated with social bonding. Neuroimaging studies have also shown that yoga increases the volume of grey matter in the brain, which aids in memory and learning.
Yoga is a holistic approach to wellness that benefits mind, body, and spirit. However, more research is needed to support the effectiveness of yoga as an adjunctive treatment for specific psychiatric conditions. Further, a stronger partnership between yoga practitioners and mental health clinicians is necessary to improve the integration of yoga into health-care settings.