Health Benefits Of Yoga

There’s much buzz surrounding yoga these days.

And for good reason.

Practicing yoga regularly provides your health with many wonderful benefits.

However, some people feel overwhelmed when thinking about starting yoga for the first time.

Does this sound familiar?

Perhaps you’re worried that you’re not skilled enough to practice yoga effectively.

Or maybe your friends have started doing yoga but you’re not sure how to get started.

Not to worry, you’ve come to the right place.

Whether you’re hoping to relieve some stress so you sleep better or want to improve some of your flexibility, yoga can help with that.

Here at Capitol Physical Therapy, our physical therapy clinic treats pain, and our experienced physical therapists often recommend yoga as part of a therapeutic approach.

You can integrate yoga into your physical therapy exercises, as well as your daily mindfulness routine.

Why is this one type of exercise good for so many different aspects of health?

In this article, we’ll take a deeper look.

What Is Yoga?

Yoga is a type of exercise that focuses on your mind and body and how they’re connected.

It combines meditation and breath control with movements that will increase your strength and help you stretch.

You may know some of yoga’s most common poses, such as downward facing dog or child’s pose, but it’s much more than that.

It combines elements from mantra, prayer, and breath work, along with exercise.

Yoga asana refers to the practice of yoga, as well as the physical postures.

Yoga is one of the only fitness and wellness programs with a specific focus on your mental health as well as your physical health.

People have been practicing yoga of various forms for thousands of years.

RELATED ARTICLE: How Physical Therapy Can Help With Mental Health

What Happens If I Do Yoga Every Day?

You might feel overwhelmed at the thought of doing something every single day.

But it’s not as much commitment as you may think.

It doesn’t take a lot of yoga per day to feel some benefits.

And there are many advantages to incorporating a small amount of yoga into your everyday routine.

What are some of the benefits to doing daily yoga?

We’re glad you asked.

Let’s talk about them.

1. Yoga Can Improve Your Balance

According to Havard Health, yoga helps improve the muscles you use every day for good balance.

Why is this important?

When you’re walking up the stairs or getting up off the couch, your body needs to adjust and find balance.

As you get older, it becomes increasingly important for you to maintain good balance, as you are more at risk if you have a bad fall.

Yoga helps to improve your balance, especially if you’re practicing regularly.

2. Yoga Can Relieve Your Stress

A large number of adults live with the effects of prolonged stress.

Yoga can help reduce the effects of stress, allowing you to relax and decompress.

But it’s not just the physical exercise that allows you to relieve some of the stressors from your everyday life.

It’s the breathing and meditation practice that goes along with it.

3. Yoga Can Make You Stronger

Some forms of yoga focus on building up your strength, not just your flexibility.

Yoga can be a multimodal form of exercise.

It combines the use of strength building and stretching to target multiple parts of your body.

There are poses and routines that can help you build up your core strength, which will give you a great center for pushing your yoga practice even further.

4. Yoga Can Help You Sleep Better

If you’re having trouble sleeping (also known as insomnia) it’s usually because you’re either struggling to fall asleep or stay asleep.

Fortunately, yoga can help with both of these aspects.

According to a 2013 study by Bankar et al., yoga can help improve your sleep quality over time.

It does this in numerous ways.

The stress relief from the exercise and mental relaxation from yoga can help you get to sleep faster.

Once you’re asleep, regular yoga can help prime and calm your body to stay in a deeper sleep for longer.

RELATED ARTICLE: How Physical Therapy Can Help Treat Insomnia

5. Yoga Can Keep Your Bones Healthy

Have you heard of an isometric contraction?

This term means that the length of your muscles doesn’t change when you’re doing a particular yoga pose, even though you’re using them.

There are many yoga postures that make use of the concept of isometric contractions.

Even better, isometric contractions can even potentially increase your bone density.

Loss of bone density is related to both osteoporosis and its precursor disorder osteopenia.

Yoga can help decrease your risk for both of these conditions.

RELATED ARTICLE: Frequently Asked Questions About Osteoprosis

6. Yoga Can Keep Your Heart Healthy

Yogic breathing, which is also called pranayama, influences many different parts of your body.

Your heart especially likes this controlled breathing technique.

Your cardiovascular health could benefit from yoga in many aspects.

For example, it can improve your heart rate as well as encourage better arterial pressure.

RELATED ARTICLE: How Physical Therapy Can Help Reduce Your Risk Of Heart Disease

7. Yoga Can Reduce Inflammation

Chronic inflammation is often one of the first things to show up before a chronic illness, such as heart disease, osteoarthritis, or rheumatoid arthritis.

Prolonged inflammation can lead to a lot of negative health effects.

Many of the styles of yoga seem to reduce the markers of inflammation.

This means your body is more primed to fend off the illnesses caused by chronic inflammation.

RELATED ARTICLE: Frequently Asked Questions About Arthritis

8. Yoga Can Help Manage Your Chronic Pain

Chronic pain issues can permeate every aspect of your daily life.

Since it can help reduce inflammation, yoga can also help to reduce your chronic pain symptoms.

You’ll want any boost you can get to fend off the effects of your chronic pain, and yoga may help you get there.

From back and neck pain to pesky jaw pain, yoga can help.

9. Yoga Can Make You More Flexible

Probably one of the most well-known benefits of yoga is that it can help improve your flexibility.

In fact, it’s one of the most popular reasons people start doing yoga.

Flexibility is important for your overall physical health, especially as you get older.

RELATED ARTICLE: Reduce The Risk Of Falls As You Age

10. Yoga Can Improve Your Overall Quality Of Life

It may seem like a no brainer at this point, but if you tally up all of the aforementioned benefits of yoga, you’ll find your overall quality of life has also improved.

Your quality of life is your perception of your own position in the context of your expectations and value systems.

When thinking about your overall quality of life you might weigh relationships, health, and relative comfortability.

Because yoga addresses so many different aspects of your health and mental wellness, it can truly help with your overall quality of life.

Book Your Appointment With Our Physical Therapy Clinic Today

Are you interested in learning more about yoga and how you can incorporate it into your daily routine?

Yoga offers a wide range of benefits — from improved balance and flexibility to better sleep, reduced stress, and chronic pain relief.

Whether you’re new to yoga or looking to deepen your practice, integrating it into your routine doesn’t have to be overwhelming.

At Capitol Physical Therapy we can help you integrate yoga into your daily routine safely and at your pace.

Our experienced team of physical therapists will guide you through therapeutic yoga techniques tailored to your body and health goals.

Book your appointment with Capitol Physical Therapy today and start experiencing the transformative power of yoga.