When it comes to physical fitness, there are so many paths you could take. Depending on your goals, you might choose to go for a run or lift weights at the gym. However, regardless of what your goals may be, making yoga a regular part of your routine is beneficial in many ways. Here at Yoga Culture, we live and breathe all things yoga, and for good reason. Here are some of the many benefits of practicing yoga on a regular basis:
When most people think of fitness, they think of physical fitness, but yoga is about more than just physical fitness. Yoga teaches its practitioners about the importance of not just being physically fit, but also being emotionally and mentally balanced as well.
Many people see yoga as a light workout that will help you relax and stretch, but not much else. These people clearly have never had to hold Warrior II or Upward Bow for five or more breaths, because the fact is that yoga can be a great strength builder. Even better, in yoga, you’ll use muscles that you wouldn’t normally use in a typical workout, helping you to build even more strength.
Mindfulness is an essential piece of the yoga puzzle. No matter what pose you’re in, whether it’s physically challenging, like Crow Pose, or it’s meant to be relaxing, like Corpse Pose, you’re still mindful about each and every breath you take. Luckily, many people who practice yoga also practice this kind of mindfulness in other areas of their life as well. This helps with everything from not letting stress get the best of you to making the right dietary choices for your health.
Life can often be busy and, at times, it can be downright exhausting. If you come home after work every day feeling like you don’t have the energy to do more than sink into the couch, it’s time to give yoga a shot, even if it’s just for 15 minutes a day. The mindful breathing in yoga helps to oxygenate your brain, as well as the blood that flows through your entire body, leaving you with more energy to take on the demands of the world.
When you get home from a long day in class or at the office, it’s all too easy to let the stress get to you and knock you out of commission. Logging couch time might seem like a great way to de-stress, but people who lead sedentary lifestyles tend to carry more stress. Exercise of any kind is great for relieving stress, but yoga is especially powerful when it comes to stress relief. Why? Because yoga is more than just a physical exercise; it’s a mental exercise. It’s a lot easier to let go of the million things on your to-do list when you are focused on your breath, and on the way your body feels and moves. Even if you only have a few minutes, taking the time to move through a few poses when you’re stressed can make a huge difference.
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