It's common these days to let our responsibilities run our bodies to exhaustion. A lot of people spend countless hours sitting at a desk or looking down at their phones. Basically, we live in an increasingly static society where we spend more hours of the day in one spot than on the move. This way of life causes more health issues than any disease. We encounter stress, sore muscles, and the more we stay sedentary, the worse it becomes.

While there are many ways to combat this issue, people often scoff at the thought of running on a treadmill or lifting heavy weights. If this sounds like you, yoga might be the answer to keeping your body healthy. Out of all the different modes of exercise, yoga is the type of activity that not only strengthens our body, but it also improves our wellness and mental health. Instructors often use motivational language during classes which helps to soothe stress and calm your mind. I highly suggest you go out an buy a yoga mat, if you haven't already, and attend a class at your local gym or a nearby yoga studio. These next few benefits are crucial for living a healthy sustainable life when paired with healthy eating habits.

You will become more flexible than you have been in years.
You may not realize it, but flexibility is essential as we grow older. Even after one session, you will notice slight changes in your range of motion. This is significant when you consider how your joints maintain themselves. When you move and stretch, synovial fluid coats all the nooks and crannies in your joints; that's crucial to keeping them healthy, well lubricated and moving properly.

The back pain that you experience will decrease immensely.
Whether your job involves doing hard physical labor, long periods of time standing or just hunching over a computer, our backs become subject to physical pain. The shock absorbers between our vertebrae compress, and the only way for the nerves to collect nutrients is movement. Backbends, twists and forward bends are simple and relaxing ways to keep your spinal cord healthy.

You should also note that hanging your head down while looking at your phone slowly tears the muscles in your neck. Depending on the angle, we can put up to 60 pounds of stress on our spine. This is the posture most of us have when looking at our phones. Think about what this might do to us 30 years down the line. Now think about how practicing yoga will help this problem.

The improvement of posture caused by yoga will not only reduce stress on our bones, but it will also improve our digestive tracks. The lengthening of the spine and strengthening of the core puts less pressure on the intestines. This lets our body digest our food more efficiently and provides better nutrition.

Your stress level becomes noticeably lower, while energy levels become noticeably higher.
Yoga is a mixture of therapy for the body and the mind, and the physical benefits of the practice results in a clearer mind and less stress. Yoga encourages you to relax and breathe slowly. This repetition of controlled breathing switches the sympathetic nervous system (or the fight-or-flight response) to the parasympathetic nervous system. This relaxing response lowers blood pressure and increases blood flow to the intestines and reproductive organs.

Your stress level will noticeably be lower once you finish a yoga session, but you will also start to notice your energy levels will become higher. On top of processing nutrients more efficiently, you will experience deeper sleep at night. The restorative asana, Savasana, and meditation encourage pratyahara, a turning inward of the senses which rejuvenates our body. This is where yoga differs from getting exercise in a gym or running outside. This practice provides rest for the nervous system. The combination of less stress, better sleep and improved nutrition results in fewer chances of becoming sick, which ultimately allows us more chances of living life to the fullest.

I encourage people at all ages to start practicing yoga. Don't be afraid to fail and fall on your face. Try and improve your balance during difficult poses. Increase your flexibility and feel the stress be lifted off your shoulders. Please, try your best to hold your laughter at the end when everyone says "Om" in unison for a good ten seconds. And of course, Namaste.