Flexibility

Improve Your Flexibility.

If you’ve ever watched a yoga class or people doing yoga poses, one thing you probably noticed is that they pretty flexible. Especially performing poses such as the downward facing dog, seated forward bend, and standing forward fold. This doesn’t mean you need to be flexible to do yoga, but if you practice regularly and stick with it, you’ll notice a gradual increase in your flexibility. And eventually, seemingly impossible poses will become a piece of cake. In addition to an improvement in your flexibility, aches and pains will start to disappear, which is often associated with tight hips, lower back, and rounded shoulders from sitting long hours at a desk. Overall your posture and body alignment will improve significantly all because of the improvement in your flexibility.

Strength

Develop Your Strength

Although the infamous spiritual and transformational benefits of yoga themselves make this practice worth a try, don’t discredit its effectiveness as a physical activity.

Some yoga poses or postures help you become (and stay) fit and trim, control your weight, and reduce your stress level.

According to The American Council on Exercise’s study on yoga, the participants who practiced 8 weeks of Hatha Yoga increased their muscle mass and improved their physical strength (they were able to perform more pushups and sit-ups after the study.)

This comes as no surprise to yoga practitioners as common postures such as four-limbed staff pose also known as Chaturanga and boat pose are bodyweight exercises that stimulate muscles the same way pushups, crunches, and planks do.

Through different poses, yoga builds strength, flexibility, and stamina.

Reduce Stress

Reduce Your Stress Level

When yoga is practiced with intention, it can help you relax your mind and body and give you the feeling of oneness. According to Yoga Journal, yoga postures (poses) that combine stretching exercises, controlled breathing, and relaxation techniques can help you reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and improve heart function.