Ten Reasons Why Yoga Is So Good For You

A lot of people are still very sceptical about yoga and if it actually does do your body any good. But here are 10 main reasons why it is a good way of life if you practice yoga.

Improves Your Flexibility

During your first class, you probably won’t be able to touch your toes, never mind do a back bend. But if you stick with it, you’ll notice a gradual loosening, and eventually, seemingly impossible poses will become possible. You’ll also probably notice that aches and pains start to disappear. That’s no coincidence. Tight hips can strain the knee joint due to improper alignment of the thigh and shin-bones. Tight hamstrings can lead to a flattening of the lumbar spine, which can cause back pain. And inflexibility in muscles and connective tissue, such as fascia and ligaments, can cause poor posture.

Builds Muscle Strength

This allows to you become stronger during your everyday life.

Perfects Your Posture

Poor posture can cause back, neck, and other muscle and joint problems. As you slump, your body may compensate by flattening the normal inward curves in your neck and lower back. This can cause pain.

Protects Your Spine And Gives You Better Bone Health

Spinal discs which are the shock absorbers between the vertebrae that can herniate and compress nerves. These crave movement. That’s the only way they get their nutrients. If you’ve got a well-balanced yoga practice with plenty of back bends, forward bends and twists, you’ll help keep your disks supple.

Increases Your Blood Flow

Yoga gets your blood flowing and it also gets more oxygen to your cells, which function better as a result.

Drains Your Lymph System And Boosts Immunity

When you contract and stretch muscles, move organs around, and come in and out of yoga postures, you increase the drainage of lymph (a viscous fluid rich in immune cells). This helps the lymphatic system fight infection, destroy cancerous cells, and dispose of the toxic waste products of cellular functioning degenerative arthritis of the spine. So yoga is a very good way of perfecting your posture.

Ups Your Heart Rate

It has been proven that practising yoga has the same cardiovascular workout as cycling or going for a fast walk. When you regularly get your heart rate into the aerobic range, you lower your risk of a heart attack and can relieve depression. While not all yoga is aerobic, Ashtanga classes can boost your heart rate into the aerobic range.

Makes You Happier

As you are less stressed due to the calming benefits of your yoga practice. The serotonin levels are higher, that's your calming hormone and your cortisol levels decrease, that's your stress hormone.

Helps You Focus

An important component of yoga is focusing on the present. Studies have found that regular yoga practice improves coordination, reaction time, memory, and even IQ scores.

Helps You Sleep Deeper

Another by-product of a regular yoga practice, studies suggest, is better sleep. Which means you’ll be less tired and stressed and less likely to have accidents. It sends you into a deeper state of REM sleep (the sleep that really allows your brain to switch off).

Let me know by leaving a comment below, what you do for your de stress work? I would love to know. Do you know what. I thought yoga was to slow for me when I first started and that I would prefer Swimming, Cycling or running but actually those combined with yoga really helped to calm my mind and body and now it is a way of life, without me even realising it.

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Have a great day. Lots of love xxx