There is a bevy of benefits to keeping a consistent yoga practice for everyone from beginners to the pro-level practitioner. Yoga has been around since ancient civilizations used it as a meditative movement practice. Modern science has validated the efficacy of yoga to improve mental and physical health. This piece unpacks a few of the physical benefits of yoga movements in practice.
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Strength
A power yoga practice, an athletic ashtanga asana, or core-focused floor work can all help to build muscle strength, endurance and support joint mobility. Holding postures using bodyweight or dynamic motion with resistance bands both aid in building muscle mass and improve overall heart health. Scientific studies show that sedentary that were new to yoga experienced marked improvement in their physical ability and cardio-respiratory fitness after only three hours of yoga per week for eight weeks. Depending on the teacher and style of yoga, a class can be designed to target large muscle groups and mobility.
Flexibility
In our sedentary society, we are losing elasticity in our muscles and becoming increasingly inflexible. Yoga is the perfect solution to becoming more flexible both on and off the mat. Progressive and dynamic movement in a yoga class helps to warm up tight muscles and connective tissue to deepen the body's range of motion through repetition. Heated practices also help to ease stiffness out of sore muscles and to stretch further into seemingly impossible poses.
Click here to see a fantastic calendar for 2023 full of full-color yoga poses with great detail.
Balance
Save yourself from stumbles with a yoga balance challenge. Balance wanes with age. Many of us are one slip and fall away from a hip replacement because there are few opportunities to practice balance in adulthood. If bicycles and roller blades are too precarious for you then roll out a yoga mat. Yoga is full of ways to build balance using both standing and seated floor sequences. The bonus benefits of a yoga balance posture are that they boost body awareness and aid in the improvement of motor skills.
Yoga has many physical and mental health benefits that can help to improve our overall quality of life with consistent practice. Yoga can be an entry point to a more active lifestyle for people that do not yet have an exercise routine. Yoga can also be a complement to established fitness enthusiasts that already have a cardio or strength-building routine. Regardless of your level of experience with yoga, the practice can prevent serious injuries by building balance, strength and improving flexibility.
Click here for an awesome yoga mat for beginners, that shows many common poses.
Don't forget that Cherry Fox Boutique carries some basic leggings, which are perfect for a yoga class. You want clothes that conform to you body, but allow you to move freely. Add one of our graphic Ts or tanks to complete the look. Have fun and make a statement with a fun graphic top!
SOURCES:
· John Hopkins Medicine, 9 Benefits of Yoga, https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org
· Ezrin, Sarah, 2021, 16 Benefits of Yoga That Are Supported by Science, https://www.healthline.com
· McCall MD, Timothy, 2021, The Benefits of Yoga: 38 Ways Your Practice Can Improve Your Life, https://www.yogajournal.com
· Harvard Health Publishing, 2021, Yoga benefits beyond the mat, https://www.health.harvard.edu
· Sullivan, Courtney, 2021, Is Yoga Strength Training? https://www.healthline.com
· Folleto, Julia, et al. 2016, The effects of yoga practice in school physical education on children's motor abilities and social behavior, National Library of Medicine
· Polsgrove, M Jay, et al. 2016, Impact of 10-weeks of yoga practice on flexibility and balance of college athletes, National Library of Medicine
· Jeter, Ph.D., Pamela, et al. 2014, A Systematic Review of Yoga for Balance in a Healthy Population, Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine
· The Falls Management Program: A Quality Improvement Initiative for Nursing Facilities, 2017. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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