If you are looking for a way to get your whole body fit, why not try yoga? There are many benefits to be had, including the fact that it helps to reduce stress. Yoga is not all about sitting with your legs crossed while meditating; it also includes many different kinds of exercises that are designed to give you core strength and fitness without neglecting other parts of the body.
Here are eight reasons to take up yoga.
- Yoga is efficient, working out your arms, legs and core. You might think lifting weights is also needed, but your body weight is supported by your arms in at least one pose, and this will certainly make your arms strong. Doing yoga raises your heartbeat as well as strengthens and lengthens your muscles.
- While yoga is not considered a cardio workout by some scientific studies, it is a known fact that it helps to keep your heart healthy by reducing stress, high blood pressure, high blood sugar and atherosclerosis.
- Yoga is not competitive. This is a good thing in a world that is very competitive, whether at the gym while shopping or climbing the corporate ladder. We should not compare ourselves to others all the time and try to beat them at whatever they do; this just causes stress, especially when we feel that we come up second best.
- You can do yoga for free or purchase an inexpensive video. You don’t need special clothes or even a mat; the carpet and lawn are both soft enough.
- You can do it anywhere. Inside, outside, at the beach or park, at home or even at work in your break. It can be done at night, in the day or whenever you have a few spare minutes.
- Yoga helps you to lose weight. In itself, it’s not a weight loss programme, but people who do yoga find it helps to train their minds in a way that makes them want to take better care of their bodies because they begin to appreciate what an amazing thing it is. This includes not filling it with junk food.
- There is a lot of variety in yoga, which is especially good for those who don’t exercise because they find it boring. With yoga, you can sit and meditate to reduce your stress, improve your focus and challenge yourself with ever-harder exercises and balances. No time to get bored.
- When yoga is done properly, it doesn’t cause injuries like many other regimes can. Instead, you pay attention to how your body feels so you can move in a way that makes it feel good instead of straining to move in a way that your body doesn’t want.