Yoga is an incredible tool for creating physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.

Gentle on the joints and adaptable to any level of fitness, whether you’re a beginner or more advanced in your practice, yoga is a practice for all.

There are many styles of yoga and it can be helpful to try different options depending on what you need. As with any physical activity, be sure to listen to your body throughout class and modify or ask questions if there’s a pose that doesn’t work well for you. If at any point you experienced an injury during a class, getting in touch with a personal injury law firm could be helpful.

Take it slow, enjoy the process, and notice the many benefits of your yoga practice.

5 Healing Benefits of a Regular Yoga Practice

Improved Flexibility and Strength

Not only does yoga help you increase mobility in your spine and flexibility in your joints, but it also helps you create strength and build muscular endurance. Stabilizing poses such as warrior poses will help you feel more grounded, balancing poses will help you build core strength, and restorative poses help the fascia (deeper tissue) in the body become more pliable.

Relief from Pain

Both physical and emotional pain can be reduced through regular yoga practice. A careful approach for recovering from an injury will help your body move through the healing process more quickly. Work with a teacher about any specific injuries or limitations in your body. If you are going through a difficult time, giving yourself the gift of self care through yoga can be incredibly healing. Hip openers and backbends are especially helpful if you are experiencing loss, grief, or other heavy emotions.

Stress Relief

Learning to control the breath is a powerful tool that you can use both on and off the yoga mat. If you aren’t able to go to a group class, YouTube is a great resource where you can find different teachers and different styles. Restorative or yin yoga classes tend to have a slower and more relaxing pace, so that can be a great place to start if you are feeling stressed.

Mindfulness and Breath Control

Slowing down your breath and learning how to control it can help reduce anxiety, calm the nervous system, and increase your mental focus. Even just 5-10 minutes a day of breathing techniques can go a long way in helping you create a more mindful approach in your day-to-day life.

Improved Muscle Tone and a Boost of Confidence

If you’re looking to make a change in how your body looks and feels, yoga is a wonderful practice to try. Different styles of yoga vary in intensity so if you are looking for more of a calorie burn or you are wanting to lose weight, you might consider styles like Power Vinyasa, Ashtanga, Bikram or hot yoga. According to healthline, a yoga session can burn between 180 to 460 calories in one hour. As you begin to feel more in tune with your body and more connected to your movement, you will build confidence from the inside out.