Almost everyone has heard of yoga before, even if they have never practiced it. Many times they are afraid of it, thinking that they have to be spiritual or extremely flexible, but it may surprise most people to know that you don’t have to bend yourself into a pretzel or do crazy things, unless you want to and are flexible enough to do them. While there are specialty tools, such as mats, blocks, and straps, you don’t have to use those items to get the full benefits of the exercise routine.
Better Sleep
Everyone has pent-up energy in their bodies that can cause stress and other problems. When you have this problem, you aren’t likely to fall asleep easily. However, practicing this exercise option, particularly meditation, can help your nervous system relax, which is partly responsible for how well you sleep that night or if you end up tossing and turning. Mainly, the meditative aspect of the exercise is what helps you relax and promote better sleeping.
Energy
While some believe that it uses more energy than it creates, this isn’t so, especially when you have mastered the moves and understand what it does. When you first start out, you are learning and trying to balance, which will use more energy and effort on your part to hold those poses. However, as you continue, the poses get easier, and you’ll feel more relaxed and refreshed afterward.
Strength
Strengthening your muscles is important to have a healthy body that is effective at keeping your weight in check. While you wouldn’t think that simple poses could strengthen the muscles in your body by using your bodyweight, it can. Because of the unique approach to this exercise, you can always challenge yourself more. Therefore, once you decrease your bodyweight, you can work on more advanced poses that will help train the muscles in a new and different way.
Better Respiration
For those with respiratory problems, such as asthma, yoga can help immensely. One of the primary facets of the exercise is breathing, and you will focus primarily on this and making it better. By taking deeper breaths, expanding your lungs and being more breath-conscious, you will help your respiration for years to come.
Improved Posture
Because the poses are meant to help your body use its proper alignment, it can improve your posture. Other exercises can also do this, but they will put you into unnatural positions, which can cause more problems. Of course, the poses will seem strange to you in the beginning because you aren’t used to them, but they will get easier, and you will feel taller.
