Benefits of Yoga

Thursday, June 4 2020 3:37 PM

By Katlyn Hartford

“Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self.” – Bhagavad Gita.

woman doing yoga For over 5,000 years Yoga has been the staple for healthy, mindful living. It has many benefits. It can help you relax after a stressful day. It can help with mobility and flexibility. It can clear your mind and put you in a meditative state.

You probably know about the traditional ways that Yoga can benefit you, but what about the untraditional ones? There might be some benefits out there that you never thought of! Let’s talk about those!

Promotes body positivity for life

It’s no secret that you don’t have to be a certain body type to be able to perform even the most challenging poses. Your strength and flexibility build with every class you take and every move you perfect. Each time you grow and learn a new move or a more challenging move, you become more confident in yourself and your strength. With that comes Body positivity and feeling more comfortable in your skin. You might even lose a few inches along your Yoga journey. But even if you don’t, you are still achieving major goals and doing good for your body.

The best part about it, Yoga is a practice for life. You can live a lifetime practicing Yoga and promoting body positivity.

Encourages you to live a healthier lifestyle

Yoga isn’t just about strength and flexibility. It can encourage the right mindset to live a healthier lifestyle. Studies show that people who practice Yoga regularly are more mindful of what they eat than other exercisers. Yoga helps you focus more which in turn allows you to make better decisions on the food you eat. No more emotional eating, binge eating, or late-night snacks. Your breathing and meditation improve, which in turn, trains your brain to be more mindful of your sensations such as hunger, being full, etc.

Another way Yoga can help you lead a healthier lifestyle is by helping you get better sleep. Yoga can help reduce stress and achieve peace and relaxation which will improve your quality of sleep. Sleep is a very important part of living a healthy lifestyle.

Lastly, Yoga can help improve your health heart. It can help lower blood pressure, increase blood flow to your heart, and can even lower cholesterol. Get your body moving!

Start ‘Em Early! Yoga benefits kids too!

It’s never too early to start teaching your kids Yoga! There are tons of benefits Yoga brings to our Youth. It can bring them confidence as they learn the new moves and challenge themselves to grow! There’s nothing better than that feeling of accomplishment when achieving that difficult move. Confidence goes a long way for a young, impressionable mind. Yoga can also help in school improving their concentration and focus. It can help with relaxation, body awareness, and live a healthier lifestyle too. What a better way to get the family active together than doing a Yoga class together! Find more ways Yoga can benefit your children!

Improve your performance during your other workout routine

Yoga has been proven to improve your performance during your normal workout routines. As mentioned above, Yoga builds strength and mobility. But that’s not all! There are a few more ways Yoga can help! Yoga can help improve spinal health and decrease back pain. Your spine can move in full range to allow nutrients to the disk that act as shock absorbers.

Yoga also improves your core strength and posture which are two huge benefits when working out. You need core strength to carry out moves properly and having good posture protects your back and joints. Find out more reasons why you should add Yoga to your normal workout routine!

It’s perfect for pre- and post-natal

Some women find it hard to continue working out during pregnancy and after the baby is born. Yoga is gentle enough that you can continue doing it throughout your pregnancy and even come right back to it after baby and you’ve been cleared by your doctor. The breathing exercises and stretches help prepare your body for labor. You’re able to stay in shape when other exercises, whether it be cardio or weightlifting, maybe too hard to do. Especially towards the end. After baby arrives and you’ve had your healing time (typically 6 weeks after birth), Yoga is the perfect workout to get back into it without overdoing. There are even Mommy and Me Yoga classes that you can do with your new little bundle. So fun!

You can do Yoga just about anywhere!

Got a flat surface? Perfect! That’s all you need to be able to do Yoga. Generally, there’s no equipment needed except for a mat. If you don’t have a mat, find a blanket or a towel. You can do Yoga anywhere you are at. On the beach, at work, outside, inside, anywhere! It’s the perfect workout to squeeze in on your busiest day no matter where you are at that day. If you don’t have a lot of time, don’t worry, classes can range from 20-90 minutes. It’s perfect for an active rest day too. If you’ve just finished a streak of high cardio and heavy weight lifting, use Yoga to stretch those muscles out for your day off workout wherever you may be!

There are an infamous amount of benefits Yoga brings to you. These are just a few of our favorites. With something that’s been around for so long and still has so many wonderful benefits, why wouldn’t you want to jump in a Yoga class today! Check out your locations class schedule, or follow us on Facebook for or Live classes on Mondays and Fridays at noon. Our wonderful Wichita Yoga instructor, Nicole Scheopner is doing live classes on Zoom too! Just another opportunity for you to get a class in! Check out the schedule!

Tuesday | Yoga Flow | 8 am CST

Wednesday | Gentle Yoga | 4 pm CST

Thursday | Yoga Flow (45 min.) | 11 am CST

Friday | Yoga Flow | 3 pm CST

Want to learn more about Yoga and other forms of exercise that can benefit you in similar ways?

Read the following Genesis blog: