Yoga helps improve strength, balance and flexibility. It can also reduce stress levels and improve sleep quality. Yoga can also help people with conditions such as multiple sclerosis, COPD and arthritis.
Legs-Up-the-Wall pose is an example of a yoga exercise that strengthens muscles in the legs and core. It also stretches the shoulders, back and neck.
Strength
Adding yoga to your strength training routine can help increase the effectiveness of each workout. Yoga can build muscle endurance in a number of ways, and many of its poses challenge the smaller supporting muscles that are overlooked in traditional strength training. Yoga can also increase body awareness and a better understanding of how your muscles are working.
Most forms of yoga use your own body weight to build strength, but you can add wrist or ankle weights for more challenging postures. As a whole, yoga strengthens the arms, back, core, legs and glutes. Some forms, such as Ashtanga and Kundalini, can be a vigorous workout that gets your heart rate into the aerobic range, increasing cardiovascular health. Bone and joint health is improved as well, as a number of yoga poses require you to support your own bodyweight, which strengthens the bones and joints. This can help ward off osteoporosis and maintain healthy joints throughout life.
Flexibility
Yoga offers many poses that release tight muscles and improve flexibility over time. The stretches include many major muscle groups, including the shoulders, hips, back and legs. Many yoga exercises are also designed to build core strength. The synchronized breathing of yoga helps relax the muscles and allow the body to stretch farther than the body could reach without the support of the poses.
Unlike dynamic stretching, which uses short movements to prepare for vigorous exercise, yoga incorporates slow, static stretches and encourages the body to move at its own pace. It is important to avoid pushing the body past its limit, as this can cause pain or injury.
A common misconception is that yoga is only for people who are naturally flexible, but this is not the case. Anyone can practice yoga, and it can help improve flexibility safely over time. The stretches are designed to work with the body’s natural stretch reflex, which increases flexibility when repeated over time.
Mental Health
Mental health training with yoga is a powerful way to support students and clients. By providing outcome-based mental wellness support with yoga practices, practitioners can help their clients feel more stable, confident and capable in challenging situations.
Studies have shown that regular yoga practice can reduce the symptoms of depression and anxiety. Yoga increases levels of brain chemicals called endorphins, which can improve mood and cultivate feelings of happiness and well-being.
Practicing calming breathing and meditation techniques are also helpful for those experiencing mental illness. Stress can have a negative impact on the body and mind, leading to headaches, muscle aches, insomnia and even mood changes. By practicing yoga and reducing the effects of stress, it is possible to improve sleep and experience fewer mood swings.
For those that may struggle with anxiety and depression, it is recommended to participate in a yoga class that starts off gentle and gradually builds towards more movement. This allows students to get their energy flowing and to move at their own pace.
Stress Relief
Yoga is a mind-body practice that includes physical exercise and breath control along with relaxation and meditation. The philosophy of yoga is that the body and mind are one. Yoga improves the balance of body and mind, which reduces stress levels and promotes wellness.
Studies have shown that yoga improves mood and decreases anxiety and depression. It also increases health-related quality of life and mental well-being in cancer patients.
Regular yoga practice can help to reduce chronic pain in people with osteoarthritis or chronic back pain. Randomized controlled trials have shown that yoga is more effective than other types of exercise in reducing back pain.
fMRI studies have shown that consistent yoga practice reduces activity in the amygdala, which is associated with fear and stress. It increases activity in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), which is involved in cognitive control and emotional regulation.