It is hard to find a trend in wellness that has received more buzz than Yoga.
According to data, the number of Americans practicing Yoga increased by more than 50% between 2012 and 2016. According to the survey, yoga-practicing Americans are more likely than others to exercise in running and cycling. One in three Americans indicated that they would be practicing Yoga within the next twelve months. There are many reasons people continue to practice this centuries-old tradition. Experts believe it is due to Yoga’s combination of physical and mental health benefits.
Sally Sherwin is a certified yoga instructor at the Center for Integrative & Lifestyle Medicine at Cleveland Clinic. She is also certified by Yoga Alliance, which certifies schools and teachers worldwide.
“We spend so much time on autopilot, checking off items on our to-do lists. Sherwin says that Yoga can help people slow down.
Sherwin states that Yoga calms the nervous system and helps you to get out of the fight-or-flight mode. Yoga can be as simple as sitting down and breathing. When you are aware and present, you can find peace.
What is Yoga?
Sherwin says that the literal translation of “yoga” is “union,” which is Sanskrit, which is recognized as the original language of Yoga.
She says that this is an excellent way to describe Yoga today. The use of the breath brings together the mind with the body. Sherwin says that many people are now aware of the physical benefits of Yoga. They view it as a form of exercise. Yoga is more than just a type of exercise. She says that Yoga is a lifestyle. The postures are just one part of it.
Yoga was founded in India and has been around for approximately 5,000 years. She says that Yoga was initially taught one-on-1 and to only the most affluent men.
Yoga has been a traditional way to promote well-being at all levels.
Yoga is no longer viewed as a collection of religious beliefs. According to the Yoga Alliance, it can be done secularly.
Yoga was believed to have arrived in the United States for the first time at the beginning of the 20th century. Swami Vivekananda’s speech at the World Parliament of Religions, Chicago, in 1893 was crucial. Paramahansa Yogananda’s book was another milestone in Yoga’s spread to the West. The Autobiography of a Yogi Sherwin states that the book was published in 1946 and is still being read by many yoga students. It was common for yoga teachers to travel to different cities to teach classes or give lectures instead of teaching in a studio. This was the case in the first half-century.
Notably, U.S. immigration policy changes that began in 1965 allowed more South Asian immigrants, including yogis from India, to enter America.
Yoga studios and books were available in the United States. Is Yoga considered exercise
Although Yoga was not originally intended to be an exercise program, some practice styles have been modified into physical training programs, according to Edward Laskowski. Laskowski is a former codirector at Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine in Rochester. People have different goals when they start Yoga. Yoga may be for the contemplative, meditative, or physical part. Others prefer the exercise and movement part.
He says anything that increases our heart rate over a sustained period is good for overall fitness. Dr. Laskowski says that the heart is a muscle, and when you challenge it with an increase in heart rate, it strengthens.
Laskowski says that Yoga is not in the same category as running and biking. He says that the aerobic benefits of yoga will depend on how they do it.
Laskowski states that Yoga can help increase strength. Laskowski says that certain positions and poses in which a person must lift a portion of their body weight can challenge a muscle and make it stronger.
It’s a great way to do resistance training. Yoga builds functional strength, which means you can strengthen multiple joints and muscles together rather than one muscle like you might in weightlifting. He says, “That’s great because that’s what I do daily.”
Yoga has many health benefits
Laskowski states that the benefits of Yoga vary for different people. Its components help with flexibility, strength, stability, and balance.
One year of research was reviewed and found that yoga practitioners saw improvement in several health measures, including anxiety, stress, body composition, blood sugar, inflammation, and metabolic markers for people with type 2.
Yoga interventions were found to be beneficial for middle-aged adults with alopecia. Body mass index (BMI). To lower blood pressure, they should have a minimum of 25. Benefits were even more significant when yoga interventions included meditation and breathing techniques.
Another study showed that Yoga motivates nearly two-thirds to exercise more and 40% to eat better.
Yoga may also benefit people suffering from chronic conditions or other health issues. It is known to reduce pain and improve quality of life.
Vinyasa Yoga
According to Jen Fleming, a certified Yoga Alliance yoga teacher, and manager at YogaWorks, Atlanta, Vinyasa Yoga is one of the most popular types of Yoga in America. She says that vinyasa is not a sequence of poses that changes like ashtanga vinyasa. However, it can be set up in a series of postures, but flow and vinyasa classes, are different each time.
Vinyasa yoga can also be done in different styles, such as power yoga, Baptiste, Jivamukti, and prana flows. Fleming says these classes are the most challenging and athletic.
Shala Wolseley is a certified yoga instructor at Asheville Yoga Center in Asheville, North Carolina. She says it can be hard to keep up with the pace in a vinyasa session if you don’t have any yoga experience. Worsley says that if you are new to vinyasa, looking for a studio offering a beginner or slow-flow class is a good idea.
Hot Yoga
Hot Yoga is Yoga that is done in a heated room. The style of Yoga can differ from one studio to the next, according to Samantha Scupp. She founded and taught Heatwise, a New York City-based hot yoga studio. Yoga Alliance is the certified instructor.