The Healing Effects That Yoga Can Have on Your Body

Yoga is an ancient Indian practice, and it is indeed a practice more than a sports routine or workout habit. It's about flexibility, strength and body awareness. As you develop your yoga practice, you'll build core strength and hold poses longer as well as learn advanced poses. You can strengthen your bones, protect your joints, reduce pain, and relax more deeply with a regular yoga practice. 

Prevent Cartilage and Joint Breakdown

Yoga gently takes you through a series of deep stretches that open up and strengthen your joints. Inflammation and toxins build up in joints that don't get strengthened and stretched. These toxins make cartilage in your joints less supple and more prone to injury. Because yoga is low impact and slow, you can effectively isolate joints that are particularly toxic. And with slow, deep breathing and gentle stimulation, you'll get your immune system back in balance and inflammation moved out.

Alleviate Back Pain

Often, back pain occurs because the low back and hip flexors are improperly stretched and pulling against one another, putting pressure on the sciatic nerves. Stretching and strengthening the muscles of your core and lower back as well as your pelvis can greatly reduce your risk of this source of back pain. The various yoga stretches can help mitigate back pain, allowing you to feel relaxed and relieved. In addition, a regular yoga practice can help you open up seized or frozen muscles along the spine, lending supple strength to your spine and opening up areas where discs are too close together.

Yoga for Any Time of Day

Some people enjoy yoga early in the morning to awaken their bodies and get ready for the day. Others like to practice yoga at midday to help reduce the impact of sitting on their bodies and boost their spirits. If you struggle to find time to exercise or are prone to nighttime back or joint pain, there are several deeply relaxing yoga poses you can do right before bed that will stretch your joints and help you sleep more deeply.

Try placing your legs up the wall with your bottom as close to the wall as possible. If this causes you discomfort along the back of your legs, place a folded blanket or small pillow under your hips. Breathe deeply in this pose as you feel pooled fluids leaving your feet and legs. Child's pose is also very soothing right before bed. Kneel on all fours, then extend your hands forward as you lower your bottom on top of your feet. If your spine will extend, lower your forehead to the floor between your arms. If not, put a rolled-up pillow in place to support your head as you stretch your spine, particularly your low back.

Yoga is a terrific low-impact option for people in nearly any condition. If arthritis has limited your workout schedule or you just feel stiff and rather clumsy, a yoga practice can help you feel good again in your body.

If you’d like to start doing yoga regularly, sign up for one of our classes!