5 Reasons Why You Should Practice Yoga

I have been practicing yoga since I was around 18 years old. It’s not something that I’ve always religiously stuck to, but I have found that in times of stress and uncertainty, I always come back to it. There are so many benefits, both physically and mentally, that can come from practicing yoga, which is why I think that it’s such a wonderful exercise to build into your daily routine. When I practice yoga, I usually have a specific goal in mind – I may feel my hips are a bit tight, my lower back is aching, or maybe I just need half an hour to clear my mind.

The truth is that practicing yoga can bring amazing benefits to your life. Yoga can help balance your mental wellbeing, as well as your physical, and you don’t even have to get dressed or leave your living room! 

Here are 5 reasons you should start practicing yoga.

Yoga can help relieve muscle pain.

I suffer quite badly with lower back pain; this comes from a combination of bad posture, chasing kids around all day, and being overweight for most of my late 20’s. Yoga really helps me to manage my pain without the use of painkillers and helps me prevent further injuries. A quick YouTube search will bring up all sorts of yoga routines that will target any area of your body where you find yourself experiencing pain. These workouts can take as little as 10 minutes, yet still vastly improve your quality of life.

Yoga is fantastic for your mental health.

As an anxiety sufferer, I find yoga helps me enormously. Practicing yoga encourages me to move, to breathe, to slow down, and to be in the moment. It allows me to practice meditation and mindfulness whilst simultaneously stretching and exercising in a leisurely way. I would recommend yoga to anyone who experiences mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety.

Anyone can practice yoga.

Yoga is about moving your body, getting the blood pumping, stretching your muscles, and focusing on your breathing. Being mindful is a big part of yoga, allowing you to train your brain to adopt the ‘mind over matter’ mentality. I have found that practicing a short yoga routine in the morning is the perfect way to set you up for the day as it gives me a great sense of achievement and makes me feel happy and motivated. It doesn’t matter what your weight or flexibility is like – yoga is an accessible form of exercise for all.

Tone up your muscles and lose weight at the same time.

Did you know that practicing just two sessions of yoga a week puts you in line with the UK government’s recommended muscle strengthening exercise quota? That’s because all that moving and stretching is absolutely brilliant for toning up muscle groups and losing weight. Conducting your strength training through yoga has the additional benefit of increased flexibility when compared to traditional strength training at the gym.

Yoga can increase the quality of your sleep.

If you struggle with sleep like me, yoga could seriously help you out. I am often left staring at the ceiling due to anxiety, however I have found that doing just 10 minutes of yoga before bed puts my mind and body into a state of relaxation. Yoga provides some much needed down-time for your nervous system, which allows you to sleep more deeply and feel less tired the next day.