The Health Benefits of Yoga
Thinking of trying yoga? This form of exercise has grown more and more popular over the last couple of decades. It originated in India over 5000 years ago as a form of spiritual practise, but has become popular in modern Western culture due to its many health benefits. If you’d like to give it a go but aren’t sure how to get started then read our guide!
The Health Benefits of Yoga
Practicing yoga regularly has a huge amount of benefits for your physical and mental health.
- Stronger muscles and bones
- Increased flexibility
- Better posture and balance
- Healthier joints
- Improved blood and lymph circulation
- Lower heart rate, blood pressure and blood sugar
- Better mood; relieves depression
- Improves concentration and mindfulness
- Helps you maintain a healthy weight
- Relieves stress and aids relaxation and sleep
- Eases constipation and other bowel problems
Yoga is not to be underestimated; it will improve your body and mind! The best way to get started is to try a class near you; this will help you to make sure that you’re doing the postures correctly. Alternatively, there are many DVDs and online videos that can help you to learn at home.
Common Styles of Yoga
There are many different types of yoga; some are more laidback and focused on relaxation, while more intense styles are great for both relieving stress and burning calories!
- Vinyasa Yoga Also known as flow yoga, this is a fast moving form of yoga that will give you an excellent workout. If you’re looking to use yoga as a calorie burning exercise then this is the style for you.
- Iyengar Yoga This is a good style for beginners as you are encouraged to use equipment like blocks, bolsters and belts to help you get into poses correctly. This makes it a great way to learn yoga safely and gently.
- Bikram Yoga Done in a heated room, this intense style of yoga uses a sequence of 26 poses to strengthen the muscles and encourage your body to sweat and cleanse itself.
- Kundalini Yoga A more spiritual form of yoga, Kundalini encourages you to increase your consciousness by focusing on breathing, chanting and meditation.
- Hatha Yoga Hatha isn’t really a specific form of yoga, but generally refers to classes that are more gentle and slow – great for beginners or people who’d prefer a relaxed session.
