You hear people saying it all the time. Yoga is great for fitness; for your physical health and mental well-being. But do you know what the actual benefits are? It really doesn’t matter whether you choose to do ashtanga, bikram, iyengar, hatha or power yoga. All have the same benefits.
Five great reasons to do yoga
We asked the experts to tell us five benefits of yoga:
Tip top body: The movements and poses of yoga will give you a “long, lean and strong body”. This is because yoga helps to realign your muscles and posture and works on strengthening muscles. Just take a look at your favourite yogi to see how slimline, muscly and sleek they look!
Great for de-stressing: Yoga demands focus and it has the benefit of helping you to switch off from every day thoughts and stresses, which in turn helps to make your brain feel calm. The deep breathing is really good for calming, too. After your yoga class you’ll feel do much less stressed and much better able to focus on your next tasks.
Reduces injury: Our bodies can become really tense through excessive work, sport and stress. When tense, your body can’t gain good equilibrium, or fluid movement. In many cases, our bodies go into “survival mode”. But yoga helps to release tension, giving you a more balanced body that is less injury prone.
Helps neurologically: Apparently, “when your brain is on yoga your neurological system is brought back into balance and is conditioned to steer you naturally toward a healthy lifestyle”. Sound good to you? Of course it does! When practising yoga regularly you can expect to feel more balanced mentally.
Go creative: With less tension and stress in your body, you’ll find your mind is more free-flowing and creative. If you reduce the physical tension and mental cloudiness through yoga you’ll find your creative juices start to flow.
Now, are you all set to join a yoga class near you? And if you’re already a yoga fan, tell us about the best benefits of yoga for you.
