By: Chloe Lisowski
Yoga is an ancient practice that focuses on connecting the mind and body through breathing, flexibility, and strength (Google Arts & Culture, n.d). It is thought that Yoga originated in India thousands of years ago and other countries and cultures have adapted Yoga in many different ways (Google Arts & Culture, n.d). Yoga is beneficial to health because research has shown the improvements of Yoga lowering physical markers of stress, and active yoga can strengthen the heart and improve functional strength (Upham, 2022). When someone participates in Yoga, the nervous system calms down and if Yoga is practiced regularly it helps improve flexibility, along with balance (Upham, 2022).
With Yoga bringing awareness and harmony to the mind and body, it can improve mental health, neck pain, headaches, sleeping problems, along with developing skills to cope and have a more positive outlook on life (American Osteopathic Association, n.d). If someone practices Yoga regularly, it will improve their mental clarity, calmness, body awareness, chronic stress, helps with concentration, and relaxes the mind (American Osteopathic Association, n.d). Yoga can even go as far as helping with weight reduction, maintaining balanced metabolism, improving athletic performance, and can help protect from injury (American Osteopathic Association, n.d).
There’s a bunch of different ways to practice Yoga, for instance there are Youtube videos that could be a good starting point to see if Yoga is for you, along with that some gyms like Chuze offer Yoga classes, and then of course there are specific businesses that just offer Yoga.
A 15 minute Youtube video of Yoga: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvMTrP8eRvM
Here is a 10 minute video, as something less time consuming to participate in when you wake up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZ2Xs-YBpBM
References:
American Osteopathic Association. (n.d). The Benefits of Yoga.
Google Arts & Culture. (n.d). Explore the Ancient Roots of Yoga. Google.
Upham, B. (2022). Yoga 101: Poses, Types, Health Benefits, and How to Get Started on the
Mat. Everyday Health. https://www.everydayhealth.com/yoga/