Being a yogi can be considered a trendy hobby, but adding yoga to your regular workout routine has many benefits. Here are five ways yoga benefits your body and exercises your mind:
Yoga Can Increase Your Flexibility
When you think of yoga, the first thing that often comes to find is flexibility. Being flexible is cool, and it’s also part of a healthy lifestyle. According to the Mayo Clinic, better flexibility is linked to decreased injuries, better physical performance in other sports, and increased muscle blood flow.
Yoga Helps Build Full Body Strength
There are many types of yoga styles: Vinyasa, Bikram, Ashtanga, and sculpt are popular variations taught at well-frequented yoga studios. Besides sculpt yoga, which uses light hand weights, yoga practices rely on body weight for strength training.
For example, Chaturanga, anyone? This transition targets your arms and core, while the Warrior pose, for example, focuses on hamstrings and quads.
Yoga Promotes Healthy Weight Loss
Even if losing weight is not a primary focus of adding yoga to your workout routine, studies show that individuals who consistently practice yoga lose weight and keep it off—healthy weight loss is a result of the physical benefits of yoga, as well as the mindfulness taught in yoga practices.
People who regularly participate in yoga have healthier eating habits, including eating food with lower fat intake, eating more whole grains, and adding more vegetables to their diet.
Yoga Regulates Your Nervous System
One of the primary principles of yoga is breath-work, known as prana. Yoga teachers often tell their students to focus on prana during practices, creating a meditative mindset.
Breathe in, breathe out. By focusing on the breath, yogis bring more oxygen into the body and regulate the sympathetic nervous system, which helps energize the body, and the parasympathetic nervous system, which promotes healing and a safe mindset.
Yoga Can Reduce Anxiety, Stress, and Depression
Breathing and meditation practices in yoga can also lead to better mental health, like less anxiety, stress, and depression. In a study from Harvard University, when you do yoga, your brain cells develop new connections, and you can develop improved cognitive skills like memory and learning.
Studies have also shown that consistent yoga increases gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a brain chemical associated with decreased anxiety and positive mood. Lastly, researchers have found that yoga also reduces activity in your limbic system, which is the part of your brain dedicated to your emotions. As a result, you have better control over your emotions in stressful situations.
Consider Adding Yoga to Your Workout Routine
Adding yoga to your workout regime can positively affect your overall well-being. Whether you decide to make yoga your primary workout or sprinkle it in a few days for mindfulness, you’ll see the calming effects of your practice throughout your life. Namaste.
Sources:
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/stretching/art-20047931
- https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/yoga-for-weight-loss-benefits-beyond-burning-calories-202112062650
- https://www.britannica.com/topic/prana
- https://www.utoledo.edu/studentaffairs/counseling/anxietytoolbox/breathingandrelaxation.html
- https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/yoga-for-better-mental-health
