If you’re like me, you’ve probably heard of some of the health benefits of yoga—like improved flexibility, balance and motor control of movement. But did you know that yoga can also improve your cardio-respiratory fitness and digestion? Or that it helps with anxiety and stress? It’s true! Yoga has many hidden benefits that may surprise even long-time practitioners.
Improved flexibility.
Improving your flexibility is not only good for yoga, but also for the activities of daily life.
In addition to increasing your range of motion in the different joints and muscles of your body, yoga can help you get more comfortable with that range of motion as well. This is important because over time we tend to lose some flexibility due to injury or just general wear and tear on our bodies from things like sitting at a desk all day or spending too much time hunched over a computer screen. It’s also important because being able to stretch beyond what feels comfortable is an essential part of any workout routine (including yoga).
If you’re new to yoga and aren’t sure where to start with improving your flexibility, here are some poses that would be good places:
Improved balance.
If you’ve ever taken a yoga class, you know that it can be a challenging and rewarding experience. One of the most important benefits of practicing yoga is improved balance. Balance is the ability to maintain your center of gravity over your base of support, which means that it has clear implications for overall health and fitness.
When we talk about balance in terms of our physical bodies, we often focus on maintaining proper posture while standing or sitting upright with our feet firmly planted on the ground and our shoulders grounded down (in other words: back straight, chest open). However, there’s more to keeping yourself balanced than simply being able to do this without falling over! Some people have great posture but lack core strength—which means they might still struggle with balancing themselves when moving from one pose into another or getting up from a chair. In contrast, others might have strong cores but poor posture; if you find yourself hunched over at all times with your spine curved in an exaggerated arch or hunched forward like Quasimoto after too many bong hits then chances are good that you could use some additional core strengthening exercises in addition to working on improving how tall (or not) you feel while standing up straight!
Improved motor control of movement.
- Improved motor control of movement.
One of the most important benefits of yoga is improved motor control, which can be seen in your ability to move with greater precision, as well as in less effort required to perform the same movements. This may be because you’re more aware of your body now and thus able to sense subtle changes in alignment or tension.
- Increased control over heart rate and breathing patterns.
When you practice yoga regularly, you’ll find that you have increased control over your heart rate and breathing patterns—you can slow down or speed up these processes at will during different poses or sequences without feeling any discomfort (e.g., light-headedness). This allows you to regulate stress levels more effectively than before because it trains your nervous system not only how but also when to respond appropriately when dealing with stressful situations later on in life
Cardio-respiratory fitness.
Cardio-respiratory fitness is the ability of your heart and lungs to supply oxygen to your muscles. It’s a good indicator of overall health, and it can be improved by doing exercise that increases your heart rate. (It also improves with age as long as you don’t get sedentary.)
Yoga accelerates the body’s response time in getting oxygenated blood to working muscles during exercise, according to an article published by the American Council on Exercise (ACE). This allows for longer periods of sustained physical activity without fatigue or exhaustion.
Better digestion.
Did you know that the digestive system is a complex network of organs that work together to break down food into nutrients that can be absorbed by your body? Many people don’t realize how important it is to keep this system working properly, which can lead to problems like constipation, bloating and gas. Yoga can help improve digestion by improving posture and reducing stress on the digestive system. In fact, according to one study published in the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology, yoga may also help reduce symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) such as abdominal pain and irregular bowel movements
Improved sleep quality and quantity.
Sleep is the foundation of good health. When you’re tired, you can’t think clearly, focus or make wise decisions. Your immune system is compromised, you have mood swings and memory problems. If you’ve ever had trouble falling asleep or staying asleep because of stress or anxiety, yoga may be just what the doctor ordered (literally).
Yoga has been shown to improve sleep quality and quantity by helping people fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. It also helps them wake up more refreshed, reducing their symptoms of insomnia. The reason for this is twofold: Yoga reduces stress levels, which improves your ability to relax and fall asleep quickly when it’s time for bed; secondly—and most importantly—yoga increases muscle tone in the pelvic area through asanas such as forward bends (which give your body a gentle stretch) that are known to help stimulate hormones that promote restful sleep cycles
Increased lung capacity.
If you’re struggling to breathe, yoga might be a good option for you. The deep breathing exercises used in yoga can help increase lung capacity and improve overall respiratory health. This is especially helpful for people suffering from asthma or chronic fatigue syndrome, as it will improve their ability to take deep breaths without discomfort or pain.
Increased energy levels.
Yoga can help you feel more energized. If your job is demanding and exhausting, yoga can help you get a second wind. Yoga will also make it easier for you to fall asleep at night, which means getting a good night’s sleep and feeling ready to tackle the day ahead of you.
Different types of yoga have different benefits. For example, Bikram Yoga is known for its intense heat and sweat-inducing exercise routine while Vinyasa yoga focuses on movement with constant transitions between poses in order to build strength and flexibility over time. In general though, any type of yoga will improve your energy levels by helping increase blood flow throughout your body due to the increased heart rate during practice as well as the release of endorphins after class ends
Reduced anxiety and stress, improved sense of well-being and happiness through the release of endorphins during physical activity, and through the release of serotonin when performing calming exercises such as restorative yoga poses (e.g., with props or gentle forward bends). Stress relief may also be achieved through the use of meditation techniques, breathing exercises, and visualizations learned in class that can translate into daily life down time to allow for a much-needed break from our busy lives.
- Stress relief may also be achieved through the use of meditation techniques, breathing exercises, and visualizations learned in class that can translate into daily life down time to allow for a much-needed break from our busy lives.
- This type of yoga is known as viniyoga because it emphasizes individualized instruction rather than following a standardized format. The goal is to meet you where you are on your physical and emotional journey toward health, wellness and happiness.
The mindfulness component of viniyoga is invaluable for anyone who struggles with anxiety or stress related issues such as depression, insomnia or chronic pain conditions like fibromyalgia or arthritis. By learning how to quiet your mind through meditation and other relaxation techniques during yoga classes will help you reduce negative thinking patterns that contribute to these conditions by allowing you some space away from them!
Yoga has many health benefits that you might not have known about.
Yoga is a great way to stay healthy. It can help with flexibility, balance, motor control of movement, cardio-respiratory fitness, digestion, sleep quality and quantity, energy levels and anxiety. But there are other surprising benefits of yoga that you might not have known about!
How do they work? Yoga works by stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) to help calm your body down when it’s under stress or in need of relaxation. After all this time spent pushing yourself physically during your workout session at the gym or aerobics class on Monday nights at 7:30 pm sharp before going home early to watch Scandal after work until 10 pm every night…your body needs some downtime!
Conclusion
If you have been thinking about trying yoga, there is no better time than now. The health benefits of yoga are numerous and can be customized to fit your needs. Whether you are looking to improve flexibility, balance, or motor control of movement; cardio-respiratory fitness; better digestion; improved sleep quality and quantity; increased lung capacity; decreased anxiety and stress levels through endorphins released during physical activity or serotonin when performing calming exercises such as restorative yoga poses (e.g., with props or gentle forward bends); stress relief may also be achieved through the use of meditation techniques, breathing exercises and visualizations learned in class that can translate into daily life down time allowing for much-needed breaks from our busy lives–there’s a reason why so many people swear by this ancient practice!
