Benefits of Yoga

May 3, 2020 

By: Nycole Olsen 

Now more than ever we are hearing how beneficial yoga is for the body and mind. Many think of this notion as a fad, but really, the regular practice of yoga has been proven to have vast benefits on the mind and body including build strength and flexibility, lower blood pressure, regulating mood and stress responses, breathing, and so much in between. These benefits are what make people flock to classes just to see what it's all about. And the truth is, YOGA IS FOR EVERYONE. We hear it all the time, “I don’t think yoga is for me” but we also know trying new things can open a world of opportunity and growth. There are so many variations of yoga which can benefit every individual’s lifestyle. Whether you be a weightlifter, swimmer, racquetball player; dancer, even a martial artist, the regular practice of yoga will not only enhance your fitness regimen but positively impact the physical and mental elements that help you step up your game, and simply make you feel better. 

Through the practice of yoga, an individual builds strength within the weakened,  latent, or damaged areas of the body. Through the  dynamic aspects of a yoga practice one can target areas of the body that hold stress and tension as a response to your everyday wear and tear. For example, if you are a weightlifter, you are placing your body in constant states of recovery, building up lactic acid within your muscles creating constant soreness and stiffness which can negatively impact your training. With a regular yoga practice; most recommendable after your workout routine, can decrease the amount of lactic acid build-up within your muscles to guarantee an efficient recovery and an even more effective follow up workout. Lets face it, we all want to be able to walk after leg day. 

Not only that, yoga is heavily focused on the breath which increases control of the lungs and proper oxygen intake to increase your endurance, focus, and energy levels for the pinnacle workout!  Additionally, by diligently following your breath, allowing your body to flow, your mind to silence, we are releasing the built up stress from each muscle is much needed recovery that we sometimes neglect ourselves. I know we are all looking for that workout that really makes our hearts pump but the hard truth we all need to come to terms with is; OUR BODIES NEED A BREAK! Recovery is key to effective results and performance, and if you ask any athlete, they praise their rest days! Our bodies need a chance to respond to the stressors of everyday life in order to develop the strength, skills, and performance we push ourselves toward. These fluid movements combined with breath management truly give your body the ultimate way to recover and build strength simultaneously.

We’ve covered yoga as a recovery & breath control exercise, however, yoga also implements incredible strength building properties that tones the muscle & provides support to injured or weak areas of the body. So say you are a weightlifter, picture yourself pushing through 20 dumbbell curl reps, the movements are slow and you want to lift until failure. To you, this may be the only way to build muscle, to go hard or go home, right? Well, from a yoga perspective, as you move through the poses of a yoga sequence, you not only open the chest, the hips, elongate the spine, and feel your body release; as you hold the poses for longer breath duration’s,  slowly move into another challenging pose, and repeat these movements throughout the practice, you are engaging your muscles, and such the same as those repetitions, you are building strength within these targeted areas of the body. As we all learned young, slow & steady wins the race. 

 Yoga is designed to be an all encompassing physical and mental practice, so just as important as it is to recover, we also need to be building and maintaining strength within our muscles and joints to make for years of training, adventures, and stories while on your fitness journey, in which a regular yoga practice enhances dramatically. So give it a try,  give yourself a chance to explore  new areas of fitness while on your journey. Who knows, you might discover something new to love!