At this point it is almost a cliché how often you will hear yoga enthusiasts say that yoga has changed their life, and of course, when a lot of people start to say that something has changed their life, you might start to wonder what they mean by this.
You might already enjoy yoga yourself, but not see it as a life changing experience, or maybe you do not do yoga at all, and you hear this from people who are trying to persuade you, but you might be a little skeptical.
Of course, everyone reacts differently to different things, and we can not say that everyone will love and have their life changed by yoga. However, this does not mean that the people who say that their life has changed by doing yoga are lying, and this can manifest in plenty of different ways.
If you have ever asked two different people what they mean when they say yoga has changed their life, then there is a good chance that they have given you a unique answer.
This is because the way people react to yoga can be completely different, and everyone can discover something different when doing it. Because of all the different ways yoga can positively change your life which are out there, we have put this guide together.
We are going to go over all the different ways in which yoga can have a positive benefit on your life and change it for the better so you know what people mean when they say that yoga has changed their life!
Improves Strength, Balance, And Flexibility
We think it is important to get some of the more obvious benefits and life changing aspects out of the way first just to make sure that they are covered.
When we consider it, yoga is a form of exercise, and like every other form of exercise, you are benefitting your body in different ways when you practice regularly.
When it comes to yoga, the aspects of your body that you are benefiting the best from are your strength, your flexibility, as well as your balance. All of these are benefits which you can carry over easily into other aspects of your life and are generally good qualities to want to improve.
For example, if you improve your flexibility, this opens the doors to plenty of other activities that are simply not possible if your flexibility is limited, and the same is true for improving your balance and strength as well.
The slow movements which you are doing in yoga as well as the deep breathing aid in increasing your blood flow, and this warms up your muscles which aids in doing a warm up exercise. Working on holding a pose is also perfect for building up your strength.
Helps In Relieving Back Pain
Now for something that is a little more specific but just as helpful and life changing for certain people is that yoga is one of the best things you can do to help work through back pain.
As most people are aware of, back pain can be one of the most debilitating conditions and can completely wipe you out from being able to do anything if it is bad enough.
Back pain is something that might not be affecting you now, but it will affect a lot of people throughout their life, whether it is part of aging, or because of an injury.
Because of this, it is in everyone’s best interest to want to indulge in an activity which can aid in relief from back pain, as a relief, but also as a preventative measure.
Yoga is great for basic stretching, and this will ease pain, as well as improve mobility as well, especially if your back pain is lower back pain specifically. If you have chronic back pain, yoga is actually one of the recommended forms of treatment to help reduce pain.
Eases Arthritis Symptoms
Relating to the previous point, but if you suffer from arthritis, or have symptoms that are similar, or if you are at risk of developing arthritis, then yoga has been shown to aid with this.
There is also a common misconception that arthritis is just something which develops later in life, but early onset arthritis is also a risk and something which you will want to know how to avoid.
The more gentle side of yoga has been shown to ease the discomfort that can be felt when experiencing the symptoms of arthritis, for example the tender and swollen joints which can cause a lot of pain.
Similarly to the previous point, this is not something that should just be considered for if you have arthritis, but also as a preventative measure as well.
Benefits Heart Health
Something which will impact a lot of people is issues related to heart health. A lot of people are aware of hereditary heart health issues, and these can develop to be more and more debilitating throughout life.
While there are plenty of different ways you can work against the impact of heart health issues, one method which has shown to be effective is practicing yoga.
By doing yoga regularly you will be able to reduce the levels of stress which your body is going through and this has been proven to have a direct correlation with body wide inflammation and this can then lead to a healthier heart.
A lot of the factors which have been shown to perpetuate heart disease, like having a higher blood pressure, or excess weight, can also be helped by doing yoga!
Relaxes And Helps With Sleep
Something which seems to be an issue for more and more people in recent years, especially with how easily accessible technology is at all hours, is trouble with sleeping. Because of this, being able to practice methods which aid in sleep is something which is well worth trying.
As you might know, yoga is often a very relaxing activity, especially once you are used to it, and know what you are doing. Having an activity which relaxes you both mentally and physically can be quite rare, so practicing yoga to fill this gap is a great idea.
A lot of research has actually proven that if you find and develop a consistent bedtime yoga routine that this can greatly help in preparing not just your mind, but your body to be ready for sleep!
More Energy And Better Mood
This might feel like it contradicts the previous point, but yoga can also provide you with more energy to work through the day, as well as a brighter mood.
However, these points are not mutually exclusive, and the impact and effects you feel from an activity like yoga will depend heavily on your mindset, the kind of yoga you are doing, and the context.
But it has been proven that regularly practicing yoga gives you more energy and just improves your mood.
For a variety of reasons, you could be suffering from a lack of energy, a lower mood, or both, and of course sometimes this is necessary, but it can often feel like it is trapping you.
Because of this, having an activity like yoga which you know can help improve your mood is useful to help escape this headspace if you do not want to be stuck there!
Managing Stress
This is partially related to the point on heart health, but yoga is a great tool to aid you with managing your stress. Stress is something that can affect us all, and for some people it is something that comes in waves, while for a lot of people it can be more constant and a repeated source of issues.
Because of this, having healthy coping mechanisms like yoga are great for helping this not feel too debilitating.
Connection To A Supportive Community
This is something which certain people might need more than others, but we can not understate how important it can be to your mental health to have a strong and supportive community around you.
Because of the nature of yoga, this is something which is fostered and treasured, and if you feel like this is something you need, yoga can help!
Summary
Hopefully this guide has made it clear just how much you can benefit and change your life for the better by learning how to do yoga. Practicing yoga regularly has plenty of benefits and these are well worth working towards.
It is also worth noting that this guide has been far from exhaustive and there are plenty of benefits you can get from yoga which can be life changing depending on the individual.
For example, we have focused more on the health and body related points here, but there is also a litany of spiritual reasons which people find life changing which they can build on by practicing yoga.
So, if you want to discover the different ways in which yoga can change people’s lives, the best thing to do is simply talk to people!
I created this website to help newcomers to yoga and enthusiasts alike, and to share our common passions for yoga.
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