Dating back to 2700 B.C., yoga has been a beneficial tool for self-improvement and physical health from the get go. The regular practice of yoga can help improve many areas of life including physical fitness, mental focus, and circulatory health–to name a few. With so many benefits tied to it, learning more about yoga is a must for anyone actively looking to improve–in or out of the gym. So, let’s dive in together. Here are 5 ways yoga helps with overall heath and fitness.
Yoga Can Speed up the Recovery Process
First, yoga can help tremendously when it comes to speeding up recovery. The process for physical recovery often requires much time and patience. Because one aspect of yoga includes stretching and moving your body, it can be a great aid in the recovery of muscles and joints.
Yoga Can Help to Prevent Injury
Going along with the first point, the stretching and movements that often accompany yoga can have a great impact on many fitness aspects-including injury prevention. The dynamic stretches are one area that help to ensure muscles are warm and ready to be used. Another reason yoga helps to prevent injury is the working of smaller muscles when holding poses for longer periods of time. This strengthening of smaller muscle groups helps to support the bigger muscles which will in turn help prevent injury within those muscle groups.
Yoga Can Help to Improve Overall Physique
Another benefactor of strengthening the smaller muscles is that it can actually make a noticeable difference when it comes to overall physique. You may not think exercising the smaller muscle groups matters as much, but it can make the biggest difference when it comes to how your body looks and feels. If you’re looking for that added measure of strength, try adding a yoga routine into your schedule for a few weeks and see how it makes you feel.
Yoga Aids in the Improvement of Circulatory Health
The circulatory system can sometimes be overlooked by the different health aspects we so love to focus on, but it is still equally important. Research in this area has shown that yoga can hep to improve circulatory and cardiovascular health through lowering blood pressure and other risk factors. Yoga poses and breathing techniques that accompany most routines help to maintain oxygen levels and circulation throughout the body.
Yoga Helps to Increase Focus and Mind-Body Connection
My favorite health benefit from doing yoga is tied to the mind and body connection that it offers. Part of a typical yoga routine is to be more aware of yourself and how your body feels as it is going through each movement and each breath. This practice is not something we typically focus on in everyday life, so it can be a great exercise for our minds and bodies to begin doing regularly. This factor in and of itself is a great reason to start doing yoga.
If you haven’t already, give yoga a try for the next two weeks and see how it affects your overall feelings of health and wellness. Share this post with someone you want to do yoga with!
Mind & Body 