When I think about yoga I never thought about it as a good workout that actually toned your body or that it was any better at relieving stress than any other exercise. I am so used to strength training exercises and going for a run, that is until I started researching a little bit more about yoga.
Yoga, while sometimes having a stigma as an obnoxious, main-streamed way of trying to be spiritual is at its core, a very powerful tool that allows us to tap into our inner spiritual and physical potential.Yoga has no limit on age, weight, height or how physically active you are and while reading more, I found yoga holds some major health and relaxation benefits.
The postures developed in yoga in recent centuries (the “asana” or body postures of yoga is only one of the eight limbs of yoga) were designed to prepare the body to be able to sit in stillness for extended periods of time in meditation.
Yes, there are different intensities of yoga, but even the basics reap the benefits. This is something anyone can do and it's not hard on your joints like running is. While reading more about the benefits I thought to myself, should we all be doing some type of yoga? In a fast paced world full of stress, anxiety, social media and everything else that comes with being a millennial, I found a few reasons why we should all at least try yoga:
1. It's actually a great workout.
First and foremost, we never think of yoga being able to tone your body since it ins't looked upon as "intense." I found no matter which yoga exercise you chose, the movements you do throughout the exercise do tone your body in different ways getting you in touch with your body and how it moves.
By the different stretches and exercises of yoga, your body relaxes and removes any stress you are carrying in certain areas of your body while also improving posture.
2. An effective way to deal with stress and focus on the mind.
The yoga practice centers your mind and body and is a great way to relieve stress. With every inhale, you take in what you need, and with each exhale, you release what you want to let go.
Yoga teaches mindfulness and encourages you to relax by a slow, more focused and centered way of breathing, which slows the heart rate to deal with stress and anxiety.
3. Disconnecting from the world.
We can often get lost on the screens, constantly checking our phones for updates with a subconscious desire to feel needed by and connected with others. Every work out seems to be a "disconnect" from the internet, phones etc. All the while you are still connected listening to music on your phone tempted to answer texts and check social media.
Yoga seems to be a escape from the "world," for at least one hour a day with your phone off, truly being able to focus on yourself and be able to be in the moment with yourself.
4. Improving flexibility/sex life.
One of the obvious benefits of yoga. Overtime you'll notice gradual loosening and poses will become easier. Being more flexible means that aches and pains will be more manageable.
Studies have found that 12 weeks of yoga can improve sexual desire, arousal, performance, confidence, orgasm and satisfaction for both men and women. Practicing yoga regularly increases sexual arousal, and it also promotes increased blood flow throughout the entire body, including the pelvic region.
5. Improve eating habits.
Yoga’s not about extensive, hardcore cardio and depriving yourself. It doesn’t preach deprivation or self-bemoaning. Rather, it helps you tone up and practice mindful eating.
Yoga gets you moving and burns calories, and the spiritual and emotional dimensions of your practice may encourage you to realize any eating and weight problems on a deeper level.
6. Better sleep.
As everyone knows lack of sleep can leave you irritable, create bad food cravings and leave you unable to focus on anything. One solution is yoga, which enables the mind to switch off and induces a healthy state of relaxation before bed, according to the Huffington Post.
7. Focus on your soul.
Yoga has been known to have people truly be able to focus on their inner selves, and controlling their own minds. We've all heard, no one can love you until you learn to love yourself, and yoga helps focus on "self-studying." Yoga helps focus on your life being the only one you have direct control over, by learning discipline and through breathing exercises.
The person you spend the most time with is yourself, right? You should be kind to yourself and love yourself in order to be able to love other people to the best of your ability. When you feel confident in how you spend your time and how you treat yourself, your relationships with other people will fall into place.
Not only does yoga seem to have benefits for your physical self, the benefits from the mental health are seemingly well worth a try. If you're sick of the old routines of working out and want to try something new, yoga seems the way to go. Being more relaxed and in tune with yourself is something ourselves and the people around us can benefit from.
Namaste.
