Are you looking to up your exercise game and start working out regularly, yoga is an ideal starting point. This full mind-body workout combines strengthening and stretching poses with deep breathing techniques as well as meditation or relaxation for ultimate relaxation.
Yoga has long been known to reduce stress and promote sleep. It may even help alleviate symptoms associated with arthritis and menopause.
Origins
Yoga has become a worldwide phenomenon that provides millions of people with physical fitness and wellbeing. It has become an integral part of Western lifestyle.
Doing downward dog or warrior poses can help build strength in your arms, shoulders and core while increasing flexibility and balance.
However, you cannot rely solely on yoga for exercise. To maximize its benefits and complement other forms of physical activity with a nutritious diet, combine yoga with other forms of exercise and mindfulness.
Modern yoga asana can be traced back to a 19th century movement known as the International Physical Culture Movement, which combined European gymnastic conditioning with Indian nationalist visions of physical culture. It was this combination that ultimately produced what we now recognize as modern yoga system.
Benefits
Yoga is an excellent way to unwind, slow your breath and focus on the present moment. Additionally, it may reduce heart rate, blood pressure and stress levels.
Studies have demonstrated that regular yoga practice can alleviate pain associated with arthritis, fibromyalgia, carpal tunnel syndrome and other chronic conditions. Furthermore, some studies suggest it could even benefit those suffering from mental health issues like depression or anxiety.
According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), practicing yoga regularly increases bone density and prevents osteoporosis. Certain poses require you to lift your own body weight, which builds strength in muscles of the legs and arms as well as keeping bones strong.
Yoga has been found to improve sleep quality for women, particularly when practicing for eight weeks. A pilot study revealed that women who practiced yoga had reduced symptoms of restless leg syndrome – an urge to move your legs during periods of inactivity such as bedtime – by 15%.
Mantras
Yoga not only offers physical benefits, but its meditative nature also has beneficial effects for mental wellbeing. It helps you connect to your Higher Self, reduce stress and anxiety levels, as well as elevate moods.
Mantras are an essential element of yogic meditation, and the sound vibrations they carry have powerful effects on consciousness. Each sound, vibration and thought has a distinct quality which can elicit different states of mind and awareness when repeated over an extended period.
When performing yoga exercises regularly, it is recommended that you use a mantra for focus and improved results. The mantra can be as simple as “om,” or it could be an extended phrase like “God is Love.”
Maintain a steady pace when practicing the mantra. It should be recited on both inhalation and exhalation, though you can do it at half speed for shorter mantras or twice as fast when the mantra is long.
Instructors
Yoga is an accessible, gentle workout that anyone can do. Not only does it improve flexibility, strength and balance; but it can also reduce stress levels and aid in weight loss efforts.
Yoga classes can usually be found at gyms and health centers, or they may be offered by a local yoga studio. Select an instructor you feel confident working with so that the experience is beneficial to both of you.
Be sure to inform your instructor if you have any injuries or health conditions, as they are trained in helping modify poses so that they do not cause harm.
Yoga can be an invaluable addition to any fitness regimen, and many athletes use it as a form of cross training. Not only does it strengthen the body and rehabilitate injured muscles, but it also reduces impact on joints.