Yoga has many benefits beyond just being able to tell others you practice Yoga (although this is nice). Yoga is hard to beat as a form of exercise – it requires little equipment and can be done anywhere with enough space to move around.
This little space next to your bed? Yes, Yoga is possible there! You can do Yoga on your living room floor! 100%. You can use your Yoga Mat wherever you want.
Yoga is not just about headstands but about developing mental and physical strength and establishing healthy habits for life.
Yoga builds full-body strength
It’s not necessary to only do workouts and strength-training sessions in order to build strength. It is true that using your body weight to create resistance can be an effective way to increase strength throughout your body.
Chaturanga, a key transitional pose in Yoga, builds strength and flexibility in the upper body, while Warrior Pose works on your lower body, including your hamstrings, glutes, and quads.
Choose stronger styles of Yoga like Vinyasa Hatha or Power and Rocket in order to increase muscular endurance and strength. Just make sure you adjust it to suit your own level. Listen to the modifications that teachers offer.
Yoga reduces stress and builds resilience to stress
We get it. With emails and social media updates flooding your inbox, it’s impossible not to feel a little wired. Yoga can help. Coventry University showed that Yoga could “reverse” DNA reactions that cause stress. It also lowers the levels of inflammatory compounds in the blood (cytokine Interleukin-6 IL-6).
Stress causes us to be tense both physically and mentally. MoreYoga Anna de Sousa explains that when we are stressed, our flight or fight response is activated, adrenaline rushes occur, and the body releases cortisol, which increases heart rate and sends blood to muscles. Yoga helps us to tune into our rest and digestion nervous system response. Our body begins its functions of recovery, restoration, and repair. Yoga is one of the most beneficial practices, in our opinion.
Yoga reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety
Yoga is a great way to fight anxiety and depression. The Boston University Medical Centre has found that Yoga can improve mood better than any other form of exercise. This is due to the increased GABA levels (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid) and reduced anxiety.
Experts say that twice-weekly training is ideal for reaping the benefits.
What’s the best part? According to research published by Psychological Medicine, the benefits of Yoga in treating anxiety and depression increase over time.
Yoga will help you to balance your active state with rest. Yoga will help us to achieve this balance. We are all in a hyperarousal state, and to function optimally, we must be able to switch between the active state and rest.
Yoga regulates your nervous system response
Did you know that your nervous system is divided into two distinct parts? We didn’t know either. Dr. Nitasha Boldeo, the founder of Organic Apoteke, I Yogaa, and yoga instructor, explains the benefits of Yoga with each of these:
Yoga helps to balance the autonomic nervous system. This system is responsible for controlling our heartbeat, breathing, and all other functions that keep us healthy and alive. The two parts of the system, the sympathetic and parasympathetic, help regulate Yoga.
Different times of the day require different Yoga
If you are not a night owl who is always up late, you probably don’t want to take a class that will give you a lot of energy before you go to bed. Yoga can be tailored to any time or flow that you desire, again working with your nervous system.
According to Dr. Buldeo, morning classes in classical Indian Yoga are designed to stimulate our sympathetic nervous system to keep us energized for the day. Evening classes stimulate our parasympathetic system to help us relax. This system also helps the body heal while we sleep.
Early birds can get their heart rate up by taking Vinyasa and sun salutations. At bedtime, choose a relaxing restorative class or Yin Yoga.
All levels of Yoga can be adapted to suit all abilities
Yoga can also be adapted to different levels of skill. There’s something to suit everyone, whether you want yoga or more advanced exercises.
Leah Kim is a Nike master trainer and yoga instructor. She suggests that you start with sun salutations because they are beginner-friendly. It will stimulate your cardiovascular system and give you a full-body workout. Sun Salutations are a series of flowing postures. You can increase their intensity and the number of repetitions to make it more challenging. She advised me to breathe while moving.
Beginners can begin with the basics of breathing
Breathing is a crucial part of Yoga, even if you haven’t been practicing for years.
Indaba, a yoga instructor, and Sabina Ahmedov say that deep breathing is one of the best yoga exercises for beginners.
You learn to breathe without using the accessory muscles. Neck, upper chest, and jaw muscles. It is important to learn how to breathe correctly before beginning any physical exercise. This will create a solid foundation for a practice that is both grounding and nourishing.
How to breathe when doing Yoga
Place your hands on your side ribs and sit in a comfortable position (if possible, cross-legged).
Take ten deep breathes, feeling your ribcage expand and fill the belly.
Keep your awareness on your core as you gently exhale while hugging the abdomen.
Weight loss can be achieved through Yoga
It may seem absurd to think that Yoga can help you lose weight, especially if your idea of Yoga is primarily for mental clarity. Yoga can also help you lose weight and reduce body fat.
You should maintain a calorie deficit that is appropriate to your age, height, and weight, as well as exercise to maintain muscle mass. When you eat fewer calories than your body uses, you create a calorie deficit. This forces your body to burn fat as fuel instead. A calorie deficit can be achieved through Yoga or nutrition.
Fi Clarke is the head of Yoga for FLY LDN and recommends practicing three to five times per week to achieve your goal of losing weight well. This should be combined with a healthy, nutritious diet, as well as stress management.