Yoga can benefit people for many reasons, such as how it can improve strength and flexibility. When done in moderation, yoga can also be relaxing and enjoyable.
The history of yoga is not settled. Many believe its origins are ancient and date back 5,000 years to Indian culture and others say it may be more recent than 200 years ago when an Indian mystic called Patanjali wrote his “Yoga Sutras”.
Whatever the case, it has many benefits. Even for beginners.
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Here are my top 7 reasons to begin yoga
You don’t have to be an expert to get started, so don’t let complicated poses frigthen you off.
Even if you start small, you will find these benefits helpful.
By the way, if you already know you want to start practicing yoga, one of the best programs I’ve found online is Yoga Burn. Click here to find out about their 12 week challenge.
1. Yoga can improve your flexibility.
If you’re not very flexible, that’s okay. Yoga can help with that. Over time, with regular practice, you will notice an increase in your range of motion.
Your range of motion is a measure of how far you can move a joint through its full range of motion. Having high range of motion will help you move freely and without pain in your everyday life.
I find this helpful because, as you age, you become stiff more easily and need to do more stretches to keep your body limber. It’s much easier to keep your body moving and flexible if you start moving sooner, rather than later.
Yoga is a great way to do that!
2. Yoga can help with your posture.
If you have poor posture, yoga can help by strengthening the muscles that support your spine. This can help correct poor posture. This, in turn, strengthens your flexibility and balance. It helps improve your posture because your muscles will be stronger and more toned.
Practice yoga every morning with some simple postures before you get out of bed. It’ll help you start your day with a refreshed body and mind.
3. Yoga can help you relax.
If you’re feeling stressed, yoga can help you relax both physically and mentally.
Stress can affect your health and your ability to concentrate, sleep, and work. It can even make you gain weight. However, yoga can help control your stress levels and get you relaxed both physically and mentally.
Yoga involves holding different poses while breathing deeply and focusing on your mind and body, helping you relax. Yoga poses can stretch your body and make you feel relaxed or energized depending on the poses you are doing.
Below, I list a few poses I found that help with relaxation.
4. Yoga can help you sleep better.
This goes right alone with the above point. If you have trouble sleeping, yoga can help by relaxing your body and mind.
The best way to improve your sleeping patterns is to do yoga, because it focuses on breathing and meditation, which can help you clear your mind, relax your body, and help you fall asleep more quickly.
Yoga is one of the most effective exercises you can do to improve your sleeping patterns because it relaxes your mind and body.
5. Yoga can help you focus.
If you have trouble focusing, yoga can help by improving your concentration.
Yoga helps increase your focus and concentration by focusing your mind on your breath and the movements you make in your body during the yoga poses you are doing in each session.
If you have a hard time concentrating during your everyday activities or studying for school or work, doing simple yoga poses in the morning before your day starts can help you get focused for the day ahead.
It will also improve your ability to focus throughout the day as you learn to concentrate on what’s at hand rather than stress about what may lie ahead in the future or what happened in the past.
6. Yoga can help you stay fit.
If you want to stay fit, yoga can help by providing a low-impact workout that can help you burn calories and tone your muscles.
Yoga is low-impact because you don’t need to run or use weights to get a great workout for your body—you just need your own body weight and the exercise you do on your own mat at home to achieve it!
You don’t need fancy equipment to do some of the basic yoga poses either! You can practice some of these yoga poses in your own home without needing any special equipment at all!
So you can easily do it on your own time without any special requirements! Below are a few beginner yoga poses you can do at home without anything
7. Yoga can help you connect with your inner self.
If you’re looking for a way to connect with your inner self, yoga can help by providing a way to focus on your breath and be present in the moment.
Yoga is not only a great way to get and stay fit, it is also a practice that was designed to quiet the mind, attain clarity and focus on the present moment. It teaches people how to stay present, find stillness and silence within themselves.
Yoga provides a way to meditate and be mindful. Being mindful means being present in the moment. Mindfulness can help relieve stress and be more present during activities. It can also make you a better leader.
In essence, it is a great way to reconnect with their body, mind and spirit.
Other Benefits At A Glance
Yoga can help you learn how to breathe properly. Breathing correctly can lower your blood pressure and help you relax so you can sleep better. It can also improve your lung capacity.
Yoga can help you relax, but it also helps you build muscles. Yoga promotes muscle growth and tones your body. It also helps improve your balance and flexibility.
Yoga can help you deal with pain. When you practice yoga, you stretch your muscles and improve blood flow. Stretching your muscles reduces stiffness and pain. Yoga also promotes relaxation which reduces pain.
Yoga Poses For Beginners
The following are some yoga positions that you can try for stress reduction and relaxation.
Cat/Cow pose
Cat/cow pose is a yoga pose in which you lie flat on your back with your arms by your side and your legs extended. While in this pose, you alternate between arching your back and rounding your back like a cat and a cow, respectively. This exercise can help increase flexibility in your lower back and abdomen, as well as relieve mild back pain.
Bridge pose
Bridge pose is a yoga pose in which you lie flat on your back with your feet flat on the ground and your knees bent. While in this pose, you lift your hips off the floor with your legs and lift your arms over your head. This exercise helps strengthen your core and stretch your back.
Downward dog pose
Downward dog pose is a yoga pose in which you lie flat on your stomach with your legs stretched out in front of you and your arms stretched out behind you. While in this pose, you stretch your back, strengthen your core, and stretch your legs.
Forward bend pose
Forward bend pose is a yoga pose in which you stand with your legs apart and your arms stretched out in front of you. While in this pose, you bend forward and hold your ankles with your hands.
This exercise stretches your shoulders and back.
While there are a lot of yoga poses you can do to help fall asleep, here are three yoga postures that can help relax your mind and body.
Mountain Pose
The mountain pose is one of the best yoga poses for sleeping because it takes the stress off your shoulders and helps you relax. Stand with your feet together and arms at your sides. Breathe deeply and keep your shoulders relaxed. Lift your hands above your head and slowly bend your knees. Place your hands on your knees and breathe deeply as you feel the stretch in your legs. Hold this position for 30 seconds as you focus on breathing deeply. Slowly lower your arms as you breathe out and stand straight. Repeat this pose three times.
Child’s Pose
The Child’s Pose is another good yoga pose for sleeping because it helps you relax your body and calm your mind. Kneel down on your hands and knees and breathe deeply. Place your hands on your feet and straighten your legs. As you breathe in, raise your hips towards the ceiling and as you breathe out, lower your back until your buttocks touch the ground. Hold this pose for 30 seconds as you focus on breathing deeply. Slowly raise back up as you breathe out and repeat this pose three times.
Corpse Pose
The Corpse Pose is another great yoga pose for sleeping because it helps you relax your body and calm your mind.
Lie on your back with your arms at your sides. Close your eyes and breathe deeply as you focus on relaxing your body. Hold this pose for 10 to 15 minutes as you focus on breathing deeply.
Recommended Resources
By doing these simple home exercise, you can expect to see a lot of health benefits, such as: • Improved blood flow
• Better posture
• Reduced stress
• Increased muscle tone
• Better circulation
• Improved flexibility
• Lowered blood pressure and reduced anxiety levels
As you can see, it’s very effective!
But not only that, it will also make you feel great about yourself! And by feeling great about yourself, you will feel more positive about life in general! So if you want to start improving your health and improve your overall lifestyle, do yourself a favor and start doing this today! It will help you not only improve your health, but also help you feel more positive about your life!
If you are ready to get started with simple yoga exercises, I recommend Yoga Burn. It’s a great place to start, plus they have other programs so you can expand your training as you become more acquainted and better at yoga.