If you've done your share of reading up on anything and everything related to yoga, you should know by now that yoga is practiced both for the physical and mental benefits it brings. Sure, yoga achieved mainstream popularity more as a satisfying fitness routine. But given how stressful life gets these days, more and more people are turning to yoga as a dual solution for their weight woes and stress or anxiety.
Doing Yoga Poses is Physically Engaging
You don't have to know a lot about how to do yoga to be aware of the yoga benefits one gets from doing asanas or poses. If you're doubtful about how physically effective and engaging yoga is, you can talk to friends or colleagues who are doing yoga and ask about how this ancient practice has helped them physically. Signing up for a simple and affordable yoga for beginners class would also help you learn about the many areas in the body that yoga can strengthen or tone.
For example, among the physical yoga benefits of doing the famous Downward Facing Dog is that it stretches your hamstrings and leg muscles while strengthening your knees and ankles. The poses you will learn at your yoga for beginners class, regardless of the number of sessions you've taken, will give your body more flexibility because they stretch your muscles and strengthen the joints. Other physical yoga benefits include increased lung capacity through breathing exercises, relief from menstrual discomfort, increase in reach and flexibility, improved posture, etc.
Yoga Teaches Balance, Focus, and Concentration
The great thing about yoga is that it is done with a holistic perspective. It's true that there are certain types and classes of yoga for beginners that focus on being a physical exercise for weight loss. BUT all yogis will still teach you to first become attuned to your body and listen to your breathing. Learning to do this and realize a pattern of breathing requires a level of focus and concentration that very few other mental exercises would teach you. You have to learn to clear your mind and eliminate internal and external distractions so you can find your inner core.
One of the more obvious mental yoga benefits you will get is learning to balance. Contrary to what most people think, balance is not just a physical thing. It also requires mental focus to maintain the body in certain angles, which is something you will need to learn if you want to do yoga poses properly. Stress relief and increase in balance, focus, and concentration are just some of the mental benefits of yoga you can expect to get. Ultimately, this all results in calmness and peace of mind.
If you are constantly experiencing bouts of stress everyday, either in the workplace or at home, we suggest you start buying yoga clothes and look into doing yoga to help you manage stress and anxiety. At the same time, doing yoga for beginners will also relieve the physical manifestations of stress such as tense muscle and neck shoulders, back pain, and headaches. So even if you are not keen on doing yoga as a fitness routine, you will still greatly benefit from the positive mental and spiritual results it yields.