6 Ways Yoga Today Will Make You Better Tomorrow

If you practice yoga, you understand you’re making the most of the body you’ve got. You rarely get ill, you’re more relaxed and have better focus. Generally you feel content in the knowledge your doing your best to maintain your well-being.

So how do you explain this to your friends or family, who never take time out and generally feel pretty negative about their body, heart and mind?

Here’s 6 ways yoga has enhanced my life and why I continue to develop my practice:

1. Boosts Confidence

Deciding to become fit emotionally and physically is an empowering action. Yoga allows you to release tension from both body and mind. Taking time to learn how to meditate allows you to form an internal connection with yourself. This allows you to be gentler and show more compassion to both yourself and those around you.

2. Increased flexibility

It really doesn’t matter how inflexible you are, regular practice safely stretches your muscles, ligaments and tendons. This will increase the range of motion in the joints allowing you to move around more freely.

3. Non-Competitive

Yoga is not a competition, it’s a journey of discovery. You learn to become comfortable holding different poses, managing any injuries or weaknesses. The more you practice the stronger you become. You can challenge yourself as much or as little as you want.

3. Helps aid weight lose

Being overweight is a sure sign of imbalance in your everyday life and a major contributor to weight gain is stress. Yoga teaches you to develop a deep sense of relaxation to body and mind. You realise being good to yourself is not reaching for the cookie tin or wine bottle, it is learning how to get healthy in a nurturing, positive environment.

4. Improves muscle tone and strength

Many yoga poses have a profound effect on your upper body strength, such as the downward & upward dog and the plank that focuses on your core. Likewise, standing poses strengthen your upper leg muscles and lower back. Essentially all poses will strengthen an area of the body if practiced the right way, keeping you toned and taught.

5. Lowers risk of injury

Strenuous exercise can cause imbalances of opposing muscle groups, running in any sport is a series of rapid forceful movements, and there is a high risk of injury. Yoga concentrates on balancing this activity, uniting body and mind, increasing flexibility, strengthening muscle, therefore allowing you to move in a way that results in an injury free, healthier you.

6. Improves posture

By practicing yoga you maintain a healthier weight, become more flexible, improving your muscle tone and strength. This means your posture will greatly improve. Your abdominals and back muscles can now fully support your weight. You will sit and stand taller, raising your heart, throwing back your shoulders and breathing deep into your abdomen.

The elbowroom has yoga classes for everyone, from complete novices to those who want a challenging workshop, contact reception for advice on a class to suit you.

Sophia Pallaro will be kicking off her 4 week beginners yoga course next Wednesday 6th July. You can also take some time out with one of our upcoming July workshops.  So take control of your health and most of all enjoy yourself – it will brighten up your day!