There’s no doubt that yoga is an incredibly popular way of keeping active in Australia, with 2016 research suggesting that yoga is, in fact, the fastest growing fitness activity across the country!
Once considered to be a more ‘hippie’ workout, yoga is now practised by everyone from athletes to business people who want to quieten their mind and more.
Here are a few unexpected benefits of yoga that you may not have known about…
Regulates the body.
In a study examining the perceived benefits of yoga, participants found they had improved sleep, better diet patterns and improved physical function. We also know that certain poses can help stimulate various physiological actions in the body. For example, vertebra twists can help promote GIT (gastrointestinal) motility, which is beneficial for regulating bowel movements. Poses such as bridge and wheel are also beneficial when practised in the morning as they release energy from the heart, which is favourable for the day ahead.
Improves athletic performance.
As you tend to hold poses for a while in yoga (depending on the style of class), it helps to build strength in the body. Not only that, but it’s also great for balance, flexibility, mobility and mental endurance – all of which are essential if you were to participate in an endurance event.
There are lots of professional athletes that consider yoga to be a very important part of their training schedule. So, if it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for you!
Improves range of movement and mobility.
Many people, especially those who are desk bound, suffer from poor mobility and range of movement because our muscles and connective tissues become tight and restrictive due to sitting all day.
While strength training is important for everyone, if you don’t balance it out, you do risk struggling with the above. Yoga, however, can improve your flexibility and reduce this risk to a great extent.
In fact, a study conducted by the American Council on Exercise found that those who regularly performed Hatha yoga had significantly improved flexibility, muscular strength, endurance and balance. After just eight weeks, the group involved in the study improved their flexibility by as much as 35 per cent!
Encourages quiet time.
It’s rare than we give ourselves the time to still our mind, especially when we are said to have at least 50,000 thoughts a day! Yoga encourages a different kind of thought process whereby we are challenged to hone our attention towards one movement at a time. You’ll notice the moment you’re not dedicating your mind to a pose, because it’s likely you’ll lose your balance. The idea of yoga isn’t to control the mind but as the Monk, Shunryu Suzuki once said… “Leave your front door and your back door open. Allow your thoughts to come and go. Just don’t serve them tea”.
Have you seen the benefits of a regular yoga practice? Let us know in the comments below…
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