The benefits of yoga are numerous on a physical, mental and emotional level, and its regular practice can change our lives completely. We do not need to spend much time during our journey, just by dedicating half an hour each day, we will begin to notice the benefits. In addition, as we practice, we will achieve an optimal state of well-being that will motivate us to keep moving forward.
Little by little we will be aware of our own needs and the changes we will experience physically and mentally; and, with practice, we will be able to understand which are the asanas or yoga postures suitable for each moment.
At the beginning of the year, almost all of us make resolutions and consider different ways of returning to a healthy path. Therefore, we recommend that you enter the healthy and relaxing world of yoga or resume your routine if you already practiced it before. This is an excellent way to achieve balance, relieve daily stress and release accumulated tensions that take a toll on us. Today, we will detail the main benefits of yoga:
1) IMPROVES BREATHING
Breathing is one of the fundamental aspects in the practice of yoga. Almost all of us attend the first class breathing incorrectly, since we focus the breath on the chest and not on the abdomen. Breathing known as abdominal or diaphragmatic, increases and facilitates oxygenation of the body, slows the heart rate and relaxes the muscles. Therefore, thanks to yoga, we also improve our lung capacity.
2) IMPROVES FLEXIBILITY
Another of the most recognized benefits of yoga is to achieve more flexibility and joint mobility thanks to yoga postures. Many of them require high flexibility to do them perfectly. Our practice will continuously stretch the muscles and, over time, we will improve our flexibility to perform postures that at first seemed impossible. Improving the elasticity of the whole body is ideal to feel young and strong, but also to avoid injuries and have stronger muscles.
3) KEEP US IN SHAPE
The variation in intensity and the different postures, make yoga beneficial for weight loss and body toning. The variation and difficulty of the postures make this activity an excellent way to improve the metabolism. On the other hand, thanks to the different postures and movements, digestion improves, prevents the accumulation of fats and allows the maximum use of nutrients from food; consequently, more calories are burned!
4) IMPROVE YOUR POSTURE AND BALANCE
Yoga postures help us to have a better posture in our daily life. Many doctors and physiotherapists recommend the practice of yoga to relieve pain and even to correct back, growth or joint problems. So doing yoga as a family can also be a good option for the little ones in the house. A good posture starts from having a balance between muscle tone and good flexibility. Without a doubt, with yoga you will be able to have a balance between these two facets that will allow you to maintain an upright posture effortlessly.
5) CONTROL STRESS AND FACILITATE RELAXATION
Practicing yoga on a regular basis is the best natural remedy to reduce and even eliminate stress. In addition to the postures, with breathing techniques we will reach a state of relaxation and tranquillity that will be seen in our day to day improvements in physical and mental stress. It reduces cortisol (stress hormone) levels in the blood for a long time and continues to reduce stress even hours after the session ends. If we have a stressful life, we can practice a few minutes of yoga before going to sleep or even before starting the day to achieve a state of absolute relaxation.
These are just some of the main benefits of yoga, but they are not the only ones. Now we just need to get started and take the first steps in this discipline or continue moving towards perfection. And, if you stay at GF Victoria, don’t forget to practice your routine in the ideal environment of our Japanese Garden.
