What is yoga and why is it so popular? Yoga is a series of stretches and poses that you perform using breathing techniques. Yoga offers strong exercise benefits. And because yoga is gentle, almost anyone can do it, no matter how old you are.
Yoga is a 5,000 year old exercise from India. It was developed as an exercise to unify mind and body. There are many types of yoga. All poses of yoga can help balance your body, mind and soul. However, they achieve this in various ways.
Some styles of yoga are intense and powerful. Others are relaxed and meditative.
I have been practicing yoga for a long time, I am now so grateful to have been introduced to it because of all the amazing benefits it has given me. This benefit is available for everyone. Every age, body shape, strong or weak. Yoga will make you feel better. You may need to find a style or teacher that suits you and your situation, but once you do, yoga has the capacity to change your life for the better.
Here are some top reasons why everyone should do yoga:
Yoga Makes Your Body Strong, Elastic and Healthy
Most people start to feel some of the physical benefits of yoga during their first class. In time (perhaps less time than you think!) your flexibility will improve, your fitness level will increase, your muscles will grow stronger and you will become more supple. The number will vary depending on the yoga pose you choose. I recommend starting with Hatha yoga as it is the root of most yoga styles. As your body becomes stronger, your mind will become stronger as well. You’ll feel more confident.
Yoga Makes You Feel Good
That is why many people are addicted to yoga. You’ll always feel better after yoga class. Of course, if you start with an advanced class while you’re still a beginner, you’ll probably get frustrated. So choose a class that suits your level and go in with an open mind, and you will feel different, better, more open, present, and happier.
Yoga Helps You to Stay Focused
Because your mind is calmer and free of chaos, it is easier to direct your energy where you want it. Yoga moved me from being everywhere, to being able to focus on one thing.
In yoga, they say you develop concentration power through practice. I can say for sure that this really happened. You train your mind to be conscious and present. Studies show that after taking a yoga class, people are generally better able to focus their mental resources, process information more accurately, and also learn, retain, and update information more effectively.
Yoga Helps You Calm Your Mind, Making You Feel at Ease
After yoga class, I always find my state of mind changed. It felt like there was a clean spring in my head. Some things have fallen into place, some things are no longer there, or I have a different point of view on things. Overall I am in a much more peaceful place. This helps me with the next reason to practice.
Yoga Makes You More Aware
Here’s the bottom line. You will become more aware of everything, who you really are, your tendencies, your life, what’s good for you and not so good for you, what you really want, and what’s important to you.
When you develop self-awareness, you can change the thoughts and interpretations you create in your mind. Changing the interpretation in your thoughts allows you to change your emotions. Self-awareness is an attribute of Emotional Intelligence and an important factor in achieving success in various areas of your life.
