10 Benefits of Yoga I Discovered During the Pandemic
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When should you start doing yoga? Now! Yoga is good for people of all ages. Some start out very young, tagging along to yoga class with parents and finding they love it, some attend yoga camp as teens, some come to it later in life to stretch out those old bones.
All photos sourced from CANVA
For me, it fit neatly into my journey after years of dance and aerobics, and I gradually developed a regular yoga practice while in my 50s. My daughter Ally, who is in her early 20s, began joining me on the mat a few years ago and it has proved to be just the ticket for her too! Whether you’re contemplating giving it a try for the first time or have been at it your whole life, it can be valuable to go over the benefits of yoga.
TEN BENEFITS OF YOGA
1 - Low impact
Yoga is great for the joints! The movements are slow and low impact, therefore easy on the joints, yet very effective at improving their range of motion. I have a touch of arthritis in some of my joints and yoga moves are great for keeping them flexible while avoiding joint injury.
2 - Cardio health
Even though I’m not doing jumping jacks for 10 straight minutes like I did in aerobics class in the 80s, I really feel like I’m getting an amazing workout as my breathing deepens and my blood flow increases. Yoga gets my heart pumping! As Ally and I go through our flows, we pay careful attention to our breath but then we hear each other huffing and puffing and it makes us crack up. We realize we’ve been getting quite a workout!
3 - Strength
You can’t do that many planks, leg lifts, down dogs and bridges without improving muscle tone and strength. What’s amazing is how it builds gradually over time without the pain of “really feeling yesterday’s workout.” No one screams at you to do just 40 more reps!
4 - Flexibility
I’m naturally quite flexible but one of the things I love about yoga is that it improves and increases flexibility, even in the places we forget to think about or never use in other types of exercise and movement routines.
While strength and flexibility improve through a regular yoga practice, balance also naturally follows, even if you don’t work on it outright. I surprised myself the other day when I managed to strike and maintain a pose which I had struggled with in the past, with what felt like no effort, thanks to the steady increase in strength, balance and flexibility.
5 - Relief and prevention of back pain
You can’t “fix” your back pain with one yoga session, but through regular practice, your muscles will gain the strength and flexibility that help back pain disappear.
6 - Improves posture
I’ve become much more aware of how to improve my slouchy posture through yoga. I’ve never had much success just telling myself “sit or stand up straight.” I’ve become aware of the placement of the pelvis, the current of energy pulling up in front and down in back. It may sound a bit flaky but it really works!
7 - Helps you manage stress
There are mental as well as physical benefits from a regular yoga practice. I get so caught up in worries and obligations and I greatly value my time on the mat which is truly separate from the rest of the day’s concerns and activities. Yoga creates that space that allows you to think about something else and see things more calmly afterwards which helps lower stress levels.
8 - Relaxes you to help you sleep better
As stress levels decrease, you are able to become more relaxed both physically and mentally which can be a great way to help you sleep better. I’ve had stressful days and difficult life moments and a bit of yoga before bedtime has really helped me calm my nerves and relax my breathing so I get better sleep.
9 - Mood booster
Whether practiced in the morning when we get up, the evening just before bed or any other time throughout the day, yoga can bring about mental calmness. While your regular yoga practice helps to reduce negative thoughts and works to increase energy levels, you’ll see your mood improve and brighten.
10 - Increases self-confidence
So many elements of a regular yoga practice contribute to increased self-confidence. Having a routine you actually want to stick to helps you to feel mentally strong. When you see the physical benefits, you feel even more confident because you know you’ve made that happen.
You’ll become familiar with the feeling of accomplishment when you simply get yourself to the mat, the satisfying feeling when you take that first stretch and your body thanks you, the energy you feel when you’re done with your session and the trust in yourself when you’ve stuck with your regular practice and clearly see the benefits.
All photos sourced from CANVA