Why You Should Do Yoga

Haven’t tried yoga yet? Or maybe you tried it and decided you hate yoga? There are many great reasons why you should do yoga.

It’s a holistic type of exercise that can benefit both your body and mind. I have to admit, when I first started yoga, I was not too fond of it.

Now that I’ve incorporated into my weekly fitness routine, I’ve come to enjoy practicing yoga and seeing wonderful results that affect my other activities.

Four Good Reasons Why You Should Do Yoga

Loosens tight muscles.

As a runner, my hamstrings have gotten so tight. Hamstrings and lower back can also suffer from being too tight if you sit at a desk all day. This is a great reason why you should do yoga. It can help your tight muscles to loosen up gently. Often, at the start of a yoga session, I can barely touch my toes. By the time it’s over, I can and I feel much better overall.

Strengthen your core.

People with back pain often get relief once they start building a strong more stable core. Whatever exercise routines you do, having a strong core helps to maintain balance and good posture, as well as overuse of other muscles. Many people think that a strong core is developed from situps. Instead, you can develop a stable core through yoga poses that emphasize stability and balance.

Active Recovery

I love active recovery days in my weekly routine. As a runner, I need to give my muscles a break so they can repair themselves. If you do other types of exercises, your muscles typically get tired and sore. Active recovery in simple terms is a very low intensity exercise. Yoga is the perfect active recovery exercise to get the energy flowing through your body and gently stretch your muscles.

Sleep better at night.

Ever have trouble sleeping at night? Yoga can help you get a better night’s sleep. When we do Yoga poses, not only are we balancing and stretching muscles, but we are also practicing a breathing pattern. Yoga helps to calm the mind and relieve body tension. I always have the best night of sleep after a yoga day.

These are just a few benefits of why you should do yoga. The wonderful advantages that yoga can bring to your life make it all worth it.

Have you incorporated yoga into your fitness routine? Two of my favorite fitness programs have a yoga day in the schedule. Click to learn more about P90X3 and 21 Day Fix.