Releases Tension In Your Limbs
Do you ever notice yourself holding the telephone or a steering wheel with a death grip or scrunching your face when staring at a computer screen? These unconscious habits can lead to chronic tension, muscle fatigue, and soreness in the wrists, arms, shoulders, neck, and face, which can increase stress and worsen your mood. As you practice yoga, you begin to notice where you hold tension: It might be in your tongue, your eyes, or the muscles of your face and neck. If you simply tune in, you may be able to release some tension in the tongue and eyes. With bigger muscles like the quadriceps, trapezius, and buttocks, it may take years of practice to learn how to relax them.
I Practice Yoga To Increase My Flexibility How Much Yoga Do I Need
It depends on your body.
Some people are naturally extraordinarily flexible. For them, even one or two of 1-hour yoga classes per week is enough to retain the body suppleness.
Others need to practice every day for the sake of limbering the muscles and joints. I can stretch for splits for months, but when I get back on the mat after a week’s break, I find myself starting almost from scratch.
Every style of yoga will increase joint mobility and suppleness, sooner or later. Longer holds offered by Yin Yoga are the best if the end goal is high flexibility and splits.
There are no restrictions about how often to practice. You can do yoga every day or even twice a day to limber the body if that’s what you need.
There’s a catch though. Flexibility training should always go hand in hand with at least some form of strength training. By focusing on flexibility alone, you’re risking to develop hypermobility and instability in joints. Strength training will help you build muscle around the joints and protect them from injury.
If you’re working towards splits, check out how I participated in a 30-day split challenge and how it changed my body.
Once yoga turns into a habit, it becomes a lifestyle. At this point, no amount of yoga is too much.
Yoga Gives You Some Me
Having a little time for yourself is extremely important particularly for those who spend their lives caring for others. Giving to others is a vital aspect of life, and helps us feel more connected to the world around us. However, in order to give, we have to be full first. As Gandhi said If you want to change the world, change yourself first.
- Need some time to reconnect with yourself? Try this Moments of self-care practice with José de Groot.
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Can You Do Yoga Every Day
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I havent seen this one friend for the past 5 months and when I finally met up with her I was amazed at her body transformation. She told me that the secret to her transformation was that she has been doing yoga everyday for the past 140 days. Which leads me to the question:
Can you do yoga everyday? Practicing yoga everyday is possible and encouraged. Benefits such as increased energy, mobility, and flexibility are obtained. When practicing yoga everyday it is important to switch up your routine with easy flows and routines that push your body. Having this balance will bring you the most benefit.
Working out everyday is a very important factor in developing your health. When I say work out everyday I dont mean you need to have an intense session everyday. Investing as little as 10 minutes a day with enough volume over a long period of time will go a long way.
The benefits of doing yoga everyday are:
- Increased flexibility
- Increased energy
The goal is to be able to stimulate your body everyday so it is nice and warmed up and prepared for whatever it is you need to accomplish.
Incorporating yoga everyday will be beneficial to your health because it will allow you to develop the necessary habit to keep your health in check.
You begin to see many areas of your life also starting to come in place because you feel more centered.
Drops Your Blood Pressure
If youve got high blood pressure, you might benefit from yoga. Two studies of people with hypertension, published in the British medical journal The Lancet, compared the effects of Savasana with simply lying on a couch. After three months, Savasana was associated with a 26-point drop in systolic blood pressure and a 15-point drop in diastolic blood pressure (the bottom numberand the higher the initial blood pressure, the bigger the drop.
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What Really Happens To Your Body When You Do Yoga Every Day
It’s no secret that yoga has undeniable health benefits mentally, physically, and spiritually. After all, yoga has been around for quite some time now. Its origins can be traced all the way back to India some 5,000 yeas ago, when it was first mentioned in ancient sacred texts known as the Rig Veda, according to . Today, yoga is still practiced all over the world. It’s even combined with other medicines and treatment plans to heal patients inside and out.
Boiled down, yoga is a practice that combines strength, flexibility, and breath, but there are a multitude of ways to marry these factors from Ashtanga and Bikram to restorative and Vinyasa yoga, according to Gaiam, a yoga gear and equipment retailer. All types of yoga utilize various breathing techniques and postures. Some are sweaty , while other forms of yoga are more relaxing. But they all serve a purpose.
Whatever form of yoga you choose, practicing every day can work wonders on your mind, body, and spirit. Whether you’re a seasoned yogi or a total newbie, here are the beautiful ways that yoga can empower you to be a better version of yourself.
A Daily Dose Of Yoga Can Help Relieve Anxiety
If you experience anxiety, rest assured that you’re not the only one. In fact, anxiety disorders are the most common mental illnesses in the United States. Specifically, about 40 million American adults are affected by anxiety every year, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. And while anxiety can be treatable, only 36.9 percent of people with the disorder seek and receive treatment. Why? There are a whole host of reasons, from denial to the stigma surrounding mental health conditions . One way you can help to treat your anxiety is by practicing yoga, according to a 2020 study published in JAMAPsychiatry .
“Generalized anxiety disorder is a very common condition, yet many are not willing or able to access evidence-based treatments,” Dr. Naomi M. Simon, physician, professor in the department of psychiatry at NYU Langone Health, and the lead study author, told ScienceDaily. “Our findings demonstrate that yoga, which is safe and widely available, can improve symptoms for some people with this disorder and could be a valuable tool in an overall treatment plan.”
This doesn’t mean yoga should be your sole treatment plan, but as ScienceDaily noted, the study did find that yoga “meaningfully improves” anxiety symptoms. Of course, as with anything, you have to keep it up to reap the rewards.
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If You Do Yoga Every Day You May Sleep Better
There are few things more frustrating than not being able to fall asleep at night and stay asleep until the morning. You can only count sheep for so long until you’re tempted to give up and look at your phone, which will only make the situation worse, as noted by the Cleveland Clinic. And given that poor sleep quality has been linked to disorders like depression and high blood pressure, according to Healthline, it’s not something you want to leave untreated.
So if you’re one of the millions of people who struggle with insomnia in the United States, you may find that doing yoga every day helps. That’s because it can help to restore your natural circadian rhythm, says certified yoga teacher and nutritionist Katie Boyd. “After a few weeks of practicing yoga, you will start to notice your body starting to adjust to your body’s natural balance,” she told The List. “The better your sleep quality the better your overall body will be, from a cellular level all the way up to your strength, physical looks, and your mental health.”
Uses The Placebo Effect To Affect Change
Just believing you will get better can make you better. Unfortunately, many conventional scientists believe that if something works by eliciting the placebo effect, it doesnt count. But most patients just want to get better, so if chanting a mantralike you might do at the beginning or end of yoga class or throughout a meditation or in the course of your dayfacilitates healing, even if its just a placebo effect, why not do it?
See also:21 More Health Benefits of Yoga
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I Become More Mindful
While doing yoga, I learn to live in the moment. When I first started practicing yoga, I was tempted to rush and often felt impatient. I would also check the time a lot. I kept checking to see how much of the video was left. As I have continued my journey with yoga, I have learned to slow down my mind. I focus on my breath and the movement. Sometimes, I am not moving at all but am in a still position and just focusing on my breath. Its wonderful. To be able to slow down my mind and focus on one thing at a time is beneficial in all areas of my life.
You Could Lower Your Risk Of Heart Disease
Heart health is more important than ever, with recent research from the American Heart Association showing that heart attacks, high blood pressure, and diabetes are increasingly more common in younger peopleespecially women. But it turns out yoga may help lower your risk. A review of studies published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiologyfound that practicing yoga could help just as much as conventional exercise, like brisk walking. In fact, the studies analyzed various types of yogaboth athletic and more gentle flowsas well as a wide range of people with various health conditions. Overall, they saw that those who practiced lowered their blood pressure by five points and decreased their levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol by 12 points. What this suggests: It’s likely less about the type of yoga you’re into and more about being consistent with your movement.
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Im Concerned The Spiritual Side Will Conflict With My Religious Beliefs
Though often associated culturally with Hinduism and Buddhism, yoga does not necessitate a set of religious beliefs and can be practiced in a completely secular way, according to the Yoga Alliance.
Yoga does, though, promote the idea of peace and purpose, which some people equate with spirituality, Parker says. If youre not into that, seek classes and instructors who focus solely on the physical aspects of yoga.
Some Of The Yoga Poses Made Me Realize That I’m Not As Flexible As I Thought I Was
Out of all of the moves, the downward-facing dog was the one that I most underestimated.
From a first glance, it looks like you just have to be able to touch your toes to do it, but I was wrong. I’ve always considered myself moderately flexible, but when I tried to ease into the pose without lifting up my heels, I realized that I have really tight hips and hamstrings and I couldn’t complete the move.
After my first unsuccessful attempt, I tried a modification that I found online that involved bending my knees slightly. It definitely helped but I still couldn’t do the original pose by the end of the month.
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Encourages Healthy Eating Habits
As seen with the previous point, engaging in yoga every day results in the development of healthy eating habits. Keeping your body moving allows you to find your inner tranquillity alongside breathing exercises that have positive psychological effects.
Furthermore, a by-product of attaining all of these benefits is a desire to adopt a healthier lifestyle. This stretches to opting for healthier food choices alongside regular physical exercise.
Yoga is thought to be a gateway to leading a healthier lifestyle. Those who regularly practice yoga consciously strive for a balanced diet and engage in other forms of physical activity, compared with non-practitioners of yoga.
Additionally, as mentioned earlier, one of the benefits of doing yoga every day is that you become a less stressed individual, and are less susceptible to emotional eating.
Emotional eating is eating as a means of suppressing negative emotions such as stress, sadness and boredom. Yoga helps alleviate feelings of stress and anxiousness, thus making you happier and less likely to snack on unhealthy foods as a result.
I Did Yoga #everydamnday For A Year
That’s right. Every day for 365 days, I did yoga.
I did it in my living room, I did it in the dark, I did it in international airports, I did it through exhaustion, and I even did it in the emergency room after I sprained my ankle. I did it while breastfeeding, baby wearing, and during the silence of nap time. I did yoga every.single.day.
Why is this so important?
Here’s the long and short of it: I woke up one morning at the ripe old age of 29 and I realized that I felt much older than I actually was. I knew that if I didn’t change my sedentary ways I was going to lose not just my health, but the possibilities of what my life could be.
On the cusp of turning 30, having just moved to a land far far away with zero friends, zero family, no job prospects, and going from a full time office job to stay-at-home mommy my life no longer felt like it was mine.
I needed to take back some control. I needed to figure out who I was going to be in this new life, and I desperately needed to get healthy. My daughter wasn’t walking yet, but I knew she would be soon and if I didn’t change something there was no way I would ever be able to keep up with her.
After a chance visit with my former yoga teacher from many years prior, I knew what I needed to do. Yoga. I needed yoga back in my life.
So, I made the commitment to 30 days. I could do this, I could do yoga every day for 30 days and hopefully ease my way into a healthier lifestyle.
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There Are So Many Different Types Of Yoga
There are so many strands to try: from Yin and restorative to Vinyasa, Hatha, Power, Ashtanga and Iyengar , the web of all things Yoga, is vast.
Need a quick refresh?
Ashtanga
Originating in Mysore, India, Ashtanga is a series of six established and strenuous pose sequences â the primary series, second series, third series, and so on practised sequentially.
Vinyasa
Unlike Ashtanga, there is no set order to poses in a Vinyasa class. Usually, a vigorous flow combining standing, seated and supine poses, Vinyasa is the style of Yoga to really get a sweat on and build strength throughout your entire body.
Hatha
In a study by York University in Canada, women who did two 75-minute sessions of Hatha yoga for eight weeks reported better moods and reduced stress. This style of Yoga is characterised by holding static poses for longer â but don’t be fooled, it’s just as difficult as moving quickly.
Iyengar
Iyengar Yoga is best described as using maximum support to help you get into the right position. Think chairs, bolsters and blocks and release muscle tension.
Yin
A newer style, Yin yoga is a much slower practice, with postures held from anywhere between three and 20 minutes. It uses props â bolsters, blankets and blocks to help you relax into each pose. Designed to stimulate and release the fascia , it’s a static form of yoga that primarily works your lower body.
Restorative
I Started Doing Yoga Every Day And It Completely Changed My Life
This woman’s daily yoga practice inspired her to move cross-country and completely reinvent her life.
Melissa Eckman is a Los Angeles-based yoga teacher who found yoga when her life needed a total reset. Read about her journey here, and take a virtual class with her on Manduka’s live-streaming yoga platform Yogaia.
I never thought of myself as athletic. As a kid, I couldn’t advance to the next level of gymnastics because I couldn’t do a chin-up in high school, I never made the varsity level of any sports. Then moved from Massachusetts to South Florida for college, and, suddenly, I was surrounded by beautiful people in bikinis all the time. So, I decided to try to get in shape.
I didn’t go about it the healthiest way. I went through some periods where I was obsessive I had to be run 3 miles a day to feel like I was doing something, and I wouldn’t eat any carbs. Then I’d give up and gain the weight back. I couldn’t find my groove or what would make me feel healthy and confident in my body. Instead, I immersed myself in school and got my accounting degree.
I went to training that weekend, and saw an instant shift. I never thought of myself as a creative, excited, or passionate person, but for the first time in my life, I was so inspired! I started teaching as often as I could-three days before work, both days on the weekend, and if I had any days off work I would cover all the classes.
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