Practicing Yoga for Better Health
1. Yoga for Flexibility
Practicing yoga poses helps to stretch muscles, and doing yoga daily can improve your movement and reduce stiffness or fatigue. At any level of yoga, you can soon realize the benefits that yoga brings. In a study, people showed a 35% improvement in their flexibility after just 8 weeks of practicing yoga.
2. Building Muscle Strength
Certain styles of yoga, such as Ashtanga and power yoga, will help you improve muscle tone from the very first yoga sessions. But even less intense styles of yoga, such as Iyengar or Hatha, can provide benefits in strength and endurance.
Many poses, such as downward-facing dog, upward-facing dog, and plank pose, help strengthen the upper body. Standing poses, especially if you hold them for several long breaths, will strengthen the hamstrings, quadriceps, and abdominal muscles. Poses that strengthen the lower back include upward-facing dog and chair pose. When performed correctly, almost all poses build core strength in the deep abdominal muscles.
3. Better Posture from Yoga
As you become stronger and more flexible, your posture will improve. Most standing and sitting poses develop core strength because you need your core muscles to support and maintain each pose. With a stronger core, you are more likely to sit and stand “taller.” Yoga also helps you become more aware of your own body. This helps you quickly realize if you are slumping or slouching, so you can adjust your posture accordingly.
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Practicing Yoga for Better Health[/caption]