I am a big advocate of yoga. In the beginning, I just wanted to find a work-out that creates a balance between my running and the weights in the gym. I liked the fact that almost every yoga exercise has stretching elements because I knew my body needed that. Then, a few yoga sessions in, I was blown away by the effect 1 hour of yoga had on me. I felt so light, my mind was at peace, my body was relaxed, but still full of energy. It didn’t matter how the day started, after my yoga session, my mood was lifted and I was happy. Now, yoga has its part in my life, and whenever I feel stressed out or tired, I squeeze in a short yoga exercise. I try to do a one-hour session at least twice a week, but also only a few sun salutations in the morning can bring real value to your mind, body, and soul.
Here’s a list of the benefits yoga can have on your physical and mental health.
+ Helps you with your breathing
Breathing is essential to our survival, and yet we hardly pay any attention to it. With focused breathing, you can help your body calm down and relax. Regular, slow and deep breathing will also help you use the full capacity of your lungs and contribute positively to their health.
+ Reduces stress
Every yoga session is made up of three elements: poses, breathing, and meditation. Incorporating those 3 elements into your day can help regulate your cardiovascular system and support your stress management. When regularly practicing yoga, studies have shown that there is a decrease in cortisol levels – the stress hormone.
+ Improves your strength, balance, and flexibility
Many people add yoga to their fitness routines to improve flexibility and balance. Depending on the type of yoga you choose to practice, you can improve your strength, balance, and flexibility. Almost every yoga pose includes muscle stretching, which will make you feel less stiff and tired. For more strength and muscle tone, you can try power yoga. Balance is a core element of most yoga poses – just like the breathing.
+ Increases mindfulness
When I do my poses, I don’t pay attention to anything else. I am immersed in the position I’m in and focused on my breathing. My mind and body are grounded and it’s an incredible feeling. You’re just there, in the moment, while your body is strong. When I do a lot of yoga, I take this focus into the rest of my day. Yoga helps you live in the present. You will pay attention to what’s going on around you, the smells, and the sounds, just everything. Overall it can truly improve the quality of life. While living the moment you’ll experience less negative thinking, because there’s nothing else but the point of time you are living in, right now. No worries about the past, or the future. Just the beauty of the moment.
+ Promotes healthy eating habits
Connected to mindfulness is also mindful-, or intuitive eating. How many times do you eat while scrolling through your phone or watching Netflix? I bet this happens a lot, and I also belong to this category. The bad news is, you miss out on the food. You just satisfy the feeling of being hungry, but you don’t truly enjoy the food. Try paying attention to your food, its smells, taste, and texture. By doing this you will automatically chew more and take smaller bites. Your body and mind will thank you. You will feel less bloated and might even lose weight. Because yoga places a similar emphasis on mindfulness, some studies show that it could be used to encourage healthy eating behaviors.
+ Improves sleep quality
Yoga has been shown to increase the secretion of melatonin, a hormone that is associated with regulated sleep. On days I do yoga I always feel pretty relaxed for the rest of the day. I’m taking this relaxation with me into the night and always sleep like a baby.
+ Helps with back pain
Yoga during pregnancy was a lifesaver. During both pregnancies, I have experienced lower back pain. On some days it was so bad that was barely able to get up and move. So I addressed this issue in one of my pregnancy yoga sessions, and my instructor showed some pregnancy-safe yoga poses for back pain relief. Here’s a good article with a number of poses that’ll help you if you experience lower back pain during pregnancy.