There’s a lot more to yoga than feeling calmer. If you practice yoga regularly, you’ll feel better from your head down to your toes.
Originating in ancient India, the word yoga comes from Sanskrit. It means ‘to join together’ as it focuses on bringing together the body, mind, and spirit through postures, meditation, and breathing.
Our yoga sessions take place in nature, so you can truly let go of distractions and find a deeper sense of peace within. It’s a superb way to connect with both your body and the world around you. Read our full lowdown on the incredible wellbeing benefits of nature.
Yoga offers many physical and mental health benefits for people of all ages. Here are just a few that will make you want to reach for the yoga mat.
Improves Balance, Flexibility & Strength
These are important elements of physical health, and yoga is well-known for improving muscular imbalances, lengthening tight areas, and strengthening weak areas. Yoga offers numerous styles to choose from that will build up your mobility. In turn, this will go a long way to alleviate any mobility issues, such as arthritis, you may have.
Relieves Back Pain
Yoga is an excellent way to ease the discomfort of lower back pain, and makes you walk taller and sit up straighter. In fact, the American College of Physicians recommends yoga as a first-line treatment for chronic low back.
Improves Sleep
When we’re anxious or stressed, the sleep cycle gets disturbed. Yoga helps the body and mind settle and relax, increases melatonin levels, and so helps induce relaxation and peaceful, good-quality sleep.
More Energy & Brighter Moods
Anxiety and depression are common and one of the main benefits of yoga is its ability to combat both, because it unites the body, breath, and mind. When practiced regularly, yoga promotes positive mental health. This scientific research revealed yoga invigorates the mind due to the release of endorphins, increases blood flow to the brain, and lowers ruminative and negative thoughts.
Reduce Stress
Yoga poses require you to concentrate on your breathing and this calms your mind and makes you more mentally relaxed.
An ideal antidote to a busy lifestyle, this benefit yoga offers is greatly enhanced greatly when paired with meditation, breath work, and auditory rituals like chanting and sound baths. See our blog on the art of breathwork.
Promotes Heart Health
As well as reducing stress, regular yoga practice can improve blood pressure and circulation, while lowering excess weight, leading to a healthier heart.
The deep breathing and relaxation yoga induces can reduce high blood pressure even after you’ve finished a session. This study showed people aged over 40 who’d practiced yoga for five years had lower blood pressure than those who didn’t.
Certain postures are particularly beneficial if you have high blood pressure, and your yoga practitioner will advise you.
Overall, these benefits will significantly boost your feelings of wellbeing, which explain why so many people find yoga so addictive!
So, make time for the yoga mat and book up!
Main – Photo by James Wheeler
