Many of us have heard of yoga, and there is a good chance that you know somebody who swears by it so much, it seems to be their answer for everything. Having a bad day? Yoga. Can’t get to sleep? Yoga. Burnt your pizza in the oven, and now you are sad *and* hungry? Yoga.
Once you get past the stage of being polite behind gritted teeth, you might start to wonder if yoga really is the ‘wonder cure-all’. Well, spoiler alert, it isn’t. But it does do some remarkable things to the body, which is why so many people rave about it.
Read on to find out why your friend is always infuriatingly Zen and doesn’t wear anything other than stretchy yoga pants.
Yoga Can Offer Pain Relief
Moving our bodies is often said to be a good source of pain relief, but this is only really useful if the debilitating pain is not caused by movement or you are required to rest.
Yoga is a decent happy medium as it can be extremely gentle on the body, and you can go at your own pace too, so whatever works for you.
Yoga is particularly good for those with back pain, as it can help you loosen your muscles and improve mobility.
Yoga Quietens the Mind
Practiced for centuries by religious gurus, there is something about yoga that directly affects the mind. Sure, all exercise can contribute to wellness and good mental health. Still, yoga engages the parasympathetic nervous system, which tells our body to slow down and relax.
In contrast, other more active exercises engage our sympathetic nervous system, which signals our fight or flight response and pumps adrenaline around our body.
Yoga is often synonymous with breathing exercises and mediation too, which also does wonders for helping our mind take a break. If you want to reap these benefits, then why not try yoga classes online with Movement for Modern Life?
Yoga Connects You to a Community
In case you have not come across them, yogi’s are everywhere. There is something so powerfully bonding about exercise communities that lift each other up, keep each other inspired and support each other when things get hard. You, too, may become a person that recommends yoga for everything, and if you are lucky, someone might take your advice and join in with you.
Yoga Is Great for Flexibility and Stretching
As we get older, we might find that it can be a little more difficult to do the long days we were once used to. We might find our joints creaking and cracking as we slowly make our way out of bed or our bodies protesting after only a short walk.
Stretching and flexibility are really important to help alleviate these symptoms, and yoga combines both! Practicing yoga can help increase your mobility, core strength, and all-over body muscle mass, so you can tackle the day ahead with fewer aches and pains.
