If you haven’t jumped on the yoga bandwagon, now is the perfect time to start. Why is it that yoga has become so immensely popular? It has everything to do with the fact that science has finally shed light on the benefits of this practice that’s been around for thousands of years. Let’s take a look at the top 6 benefits of yoga that will have you rushing to your nearest studio.

6. Better Mood

 First and foremost, you’ll experience a huge boost in mood. Yoga focuses on the calming of the busy mind. When you are in practice, that’s all you’re focusing on. You aren’t worried about everything else that is going on in your daily life. You are there to practice yoga. That’s it. You’ll be amazed at how good you feel after you leave the studio, especially after the final resting pose.

5. Better Posture

Yoga focuses on corrective stretches and postures, which, in turn, help your natural posture improve. If you have a bad habit of slouching when you sit or walk, then yoga is going to be the way you improve your posture. This will have long term benefits as you won’t have to worry about growing old with poor back support.

4. Protect Your Joints

Unlike your muscles, your joints such as your knees and elbows take a much longer time to heal if they are injured. What’s more, often times, those in the weight room are focusing on muscle growth and strength as opposed to building strong joints. The postures that you practice in yoga help to properly stretch and strengthen your joints. This will be a worthwhile investment years down the road when you avoid age-related joint and muscle issues.

3. Increase Your Strength

The postures in yoga rely on your own bodyweight for resistance. You have to move your body through a range of motion that you may not be accustomed to so the more you practice, the stronger you’ll see yourself become.

2. Improve Flexibility

Easily the most famous benefit of yoga is the dramatic improvements in your flexibility. Many people believe that flexibility is something you’re born with when, in reality, it has to be earned just like muscle or strength. Practicing yoga will allow you to alleviate muscle tightness and increase your flexibility. Greater flexibility means a better range of motion and these two benefits support our number one reason to take yoga classes.

1. Prevent Injury

Tight muscles, bad posture, and weak joints add up over time and will eventually cause injury. You could be doing something as simple as picking up the groceries when you hurt your back. Or you go to throw a ball to your son and your shoulder pops out. Practicing yoga is an excellent way to support healthy muscles, joints, and posture. The result is a dramatically decreased risk of injury.

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What benefits have you noticed?

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