Practiced since 3000 BC and beloved by millions worldwide, yoga offers numerous benefits. Stephen Virtue, Fitness Experience Manager at , shares 10 surprising benefits of yoga to help you see why it’s so effective and decide if it’s the right fit for you. Pic: iStockphoto If you’ve ever found yourself with a sore back or aching shoulders from being hunched over a desk all day, yoga could be the release you need.
It offers stretches like shoulder flossing to release tension and improve mobility, especially for office workers. Regular stretching improves flexibility which in turn reduces the chances of overuse injuries and injury through muscular strain. Maintaining a good level of flexibility will certainly help you stay healthy, not to mention independent, later in life.
If you’re prone to colds, headaches and sore throats then chances are you’re doing one, if not all, of the following; working long hours, not getting enough sleep, or burning the candle at both ends. Spending a little time each day practising gentle yoga has been proven to lower stress levels, which in turn gives your body space to breathe and recover, instead of working around the clock. Deep breathing during yoga ensures enough oxygen is being sent to the parts of your body that need it most, whilst many of the poses increase blood flow to the sinuses, helping to ease congestion.
Studies have found that experiencing a meditative state through practising yoga can thicken the cerebral cortex – the.
