Why is Yoga so Good for the Body?

Photo by Emily Sea from Unsplash

For the most part, people are familiar with what yoga is and that it is a healthy workout, but why is it so good for the body? Why do yoga lovers say they need yoga? What about yoga makes it “so good” for the body? Let’s find out.

Mind/Body

One reason yoga is beneficial is that it is a mind/body focused form of exercise. The purpose of yoga is to better the mind and the body. Our mind and body affect one another. When we are physically sick, our minds may feel groggy. When we are in peak physical condition, our minds feel more focused and capable. Yoga works on helping you tune into the mind/body connection. Different poses and techniques invite you to concentrate and focus your mind. While many forms of exercise get you excited and energized, yoga takes a more calming and relaxing approach. The calm nature of the exercise helps you hone in and focus on relaxation and strengthening specific muscles. Next time you feel overwhelmed Google “yoga for concentration,” and give one of the workout sequences a try.

Body

Although yoga is relaxing, it can still be an intense and toning workout. You will find that yoga works out your core, arms, legs, glutes, back, and everything in between. The slow and gentle poses of yoga actually require great balance and concentration. Yoga is beneficial to the body because it is a low-impact form of exercise. Practicing yoga will not put a lot of stress on your body. It won’t damage joints like high-impact forms of exercise tend to do. Yoga improves balance, strength, and flexibility in a gentle and effective way.

Healing

Many people say that they feel that yoga is healing. That it cleanses their minds while strengthening their bodies, leaving them with a healed feeling. Through the exercise and stretching of yoga, the body benefits from improved blood pressure, pain relief, a better mood, and even better sleep. Many physical ailments need to be treated with stretching and toning. Yoga could be used as a supplement to one of your plantar fasciitis treatment options, or to help improve your healing back, or to hone your mind.

Non-Competitive

Some find anxiety over working out because they don’t want to compete with or be compared to the others working out. It’s never fun to know that you are the least athletic or talented person in the room. Yoga is a personal exercise that never involves competition. It focuses solely on improving oneself and focusing on oneself. Yoga never asks you to look around and compare yourself to others, instead, yoga should help you feel proud of whatever physical and mental capabilities you currently have.

If you’ve always wondered why yoga is such a popular choice for working out, then maybe you should try it. Don’t be intimidated by the notion that you aren’t coordinated, flexible, or strong enough for yoga. Yoga can work for people of all athletic abilities and will improve your balance, flexibility, and overall physical strength while helping you clear your mind.