Sunday, 13 December 2015

Yoga For All: Part 1 "10 Benefits of Yoga"

Yoga is a pretty universal activity. It can be a great exercise, but it can also be a way of life. For all of you who have never tried it, it’s not too late to start. It’s great for all ages, ranging from small children, to mature adults. Also it can be beneficial for all body types and skill sets.

No matter why you enjoy yoga, there are plenty of benefits from it as well! I put together a list of 10 benefits of yoga that may make you want to break out that yoga mat you stuffed away in the closet.


1.    Reduces Stress and Reduces Anxiety
It doesn’t matter if you suffer from chronic stress and anxiety or experience it once in a while when your workload gets heavy; it’s tough! Yoga has been found to help reduce or even relieve stress and anxiety. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, don’t be afraid to break out the yoga mat! Sometimes a 20-minute yoga break is exactly what you need. If your case is a little more serious, studies show that doing yoga on a regular basis can increase serotonin levels. Even though this may not be a total solution to your anxiety and stress, it can be incredibly helpful.


2.    Great way to get Toned
Yoga is more than just stretching! It’s balance, strength, and flexibility all combined. If you practice yoga on a regular basis, chances are you will see a big improvement! Also, make sure to switch up your routines every so often. That’s a great way to keep things interesting, your muscles challenged, and will prevent you from plateauing. In addition, for those of you who have weak joints, yoga is a great way to stay in shape without creating further damage. It’s a low impact activity, but with myriad benefits.

3.    Gives You Better Balance
Yoga is a great way to become a more balanced person. Why is this important? It trains your body to understand its situational awareness, or proprioception. Though this may seem like a minor benefit, people with poor proprioception are linked to having more knee/back pain due to a constant imbalance.

4.    Boosts Energy
Just like any regular excising, yoga can help boost energy. Notice you’re feeling lethargic by the end of the day? If you pick up 20-30 minutes of yoga a day, you can start feeling a boost of energy. Also, it helps you sleep deeper, so you’ll be waking up less exhausted.

5.    Great for Cross-Training
No matter what your work out of choice is, stretching is very important! It can help prevent injuries, and not to mention, increase flexibility. Also, stretching after a workout can help reduce muscle fatigue and speed up muscle recovery. Next time you complete your exercise, try a 10-minute, full body yoga routine to get the most out of your training. 
     

6.    You Can Do it Alone, or With Friends
The great thing about yoga is that you can do it anywhere and with anyoneeven all by yourself. Take a class with your friends, or just enjoy some alone time in your living room, it’s all up to you! If you enjoy the solitude of nature, bring your mat outside! Maybe you’re more of a social butterfly, it is a great way to relax with your friends and even meet new people.

7.    Relieves Muscle Tension
If you get the occasional knot from sleeping on a new pillow, or suffer from frequent muscle tightness and tension, it can be incredibly painful! Just about anything can cause muscle tension. Stress, over extending cold muscles, or even getting sick, but you don’t have to just stick it out. While massaging knots is an age-old trick, yoga can be incredibly helpful too. A combination of massaging, hot shower or bath, and yoga can be a great natural remedy to work out all those tight spots without having to take medication.


8.    Improves Flexibility
In a nutshell, most of the positions in yoga have to deal with stretching some sort of muscle. But unlike traditional stretching, yoga involves balance and strength, which will not only improve your flexibility, but tone your muscles as well (like I stated earlier). While you are practicing, breathe deep throughout all the positions to maximize the stretch. That will also give you a more relaxing experience as well.

9.    Helps you Focus
Feel yourself getting side tracked a lot, or procrastinating on a big project? Yeah, we’ve all been there! Instead of scrolling through your Facebook newsfeed for the one hundredth time, roll out your yoga mat! I like to give myself 30 minutes (some of you may need more or less time) to completely clear my head of everything, and focus only on how my body feels while going through the yoga positions. When you’ve finished, you may find yourself more motivated and ready to get back to work.

10. It’s Fun!
Yoga is fun! Take a class and enjoy yourself, or simply follow along with YouTube videos in your bedroom. It doesn’t matter what your body type is, what skill level you’re at, or what gender you are, the only thing that matters is what you get out of it.

Visit the links below to read the the other parts of our "Yoga For All" blog series




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