Yes, you can try yoga, even if you are not flexible. With all the health benefits and stress relief, grab a mat and let’s go.
It has long been known that yoga provides many health benefits, as well as stress relief. Some call it a form of meditation. As the holiday season comes upon us, perhaps this might be a form of relaxation you’d like to try out.
One of the best benefits from yoga is increased flexibility. The yoga poses or asanas gently stretch your muscles, tendons and ligaments. Because mindful breathing is also part of a yoga practice, lung capacity often improves.
A relaxed, calm response is apparent after one class and increases with mastery. Yoga can actually decrease your cortisol level (stress hormone). As you work through the different poses and flexibility increases, your posture improves. There are well-documented studies of decreased blood pressure and heart rate from yoga and medical researchers are studying yoga’s effect on other chronic conditions such as pain, insomnia, migraines and asthma.
Yoga also has many different styles to suit everyone: gentle, more vigorous or focused on breathing. Classes are offered for beginners and advanced in schools and wellness centers. If you prefer to do it in the privacy of your home, many DVD’s are available. With all these benefits and so many choices available, doesn’t it sound tempting?