Benefits of Yoga & Why You Should Try it Out

amberlynwellbeing
Mar 21, 2023
3 min read

I recently had a conversation with someone who discovered that I do yoga regularly, and they asked if there is anything to yoga besides meditating and stretching.

It got me thinking about my opinion of yoga before starting it. Part of me remembers thinking, that it wouldn't make a difference in my life, it wouldn't fit in my life. There was another part of me that was scared to start, because thought it would be hard and I didn't want to be bad at it. It's turned out to be a great resource for me not only as a workout for but also for relaxation, self-care and coping with my anxiety.

This is going to be a general overview of yoga as a workout and activity to implement into your routine. Yoga has a deep history and philosophy that I don’t explore here, but I have provided a few resources below to continue learning.

So, yoga, what is it?

A practice that helps build strength, awareness and connection in body and mind with the use of breath.

Physical benefits:

Increased flexibility
Increased muscle strength and balance - builds functional strength
Improved energy
Back pain relief - especially those with chronic low back pain
Cardio and heart health - may reduce levels of stress and inflammation
Eases arthritis
Improved athletic performance
Protection from injury
Relaxation - helps regulate nervous system

There are mental and emotional benefits that come from returning to an activity over and over again. Yoga helps manage stress, which can often have a physical impact, namely;

Back or neck pain
Problems sleeping
Trouble concentrating and headaches

There are over 100 different types of yoga and at least 20 major types. They all serve different purposes but all typically include; breathing exercises, meditation, as well as poses that stretch and flex different muscle groups. Whether your goals fall more on the meditative route or you are wanting a work out, or anywhere in between there is a yoga style for you.

Here are a few common types of yoga:

Vinyasa - most popular in the US, is a sequence of poses that never change, typically fast paced
Hot - practiced in a hotter than normal room (85-105 degreed Fahrenheit) style within will vary from studio
Hatha - usually a slower paced vinyasa, poses are helf for several breaths, focus on linking poses with breathing patterns
Ashtanga - physically demanding and moves quickly from pose to pose, there is not a set sequence for the poses
Kundalini - combines poses, breathing, meditation and chanting mantras
Yin - no flowing from pose to pose. Most of the time is spent seated or lying. Passive and focuses on stretching, poses are held longer than in other types
Iyengar - Often uses props to focus on alignment and precision. Poses are held for longer than in vinyasa or ashtanga
Restorative - Uses props to support the body which in turn encourages deep relaxation

This list is only scratching the surface of the types of yoga that are out there. Many poses have modifications and there are many beginner classes. YouTube is a great place to start when figuring out where you want to start with yoga before going to an in person class.

A few of my go to are: Yoga With Adriene, Yoga With Bird, Abiola Akanni, Tana Yoga, and Dianne Bondy Yoga

A general recommendation is that if you practice 3 or more times a week for about 20-45 minutes you will be able to see improvements in flexibility, range of motion, strength, and balance. For more relaxation and meditative focused practices, I’ve felt benefits after just one session.

The beauty of yoga is that your practice is completely individualized. You get to decide what direction you take. The poses can be completely catered to your body. It's not about hitting the shape or pose that someone else can, it's about what your body can do now, and what you can work towards.

As I mentioned before I focused on the yoga as a type of exercise. There is much deeper to go when talking about the history and philosophy that are interwoven with the physical practice of yoga.

I encourage you to try out yoga and see what it can do for you. Then join me on the journey of learning more about our bodies, minds and building our practice.