This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at American chapter.
1. Take a break from technology.
Being on our phones, computers, tablets, iPods, and other devices take up a lot of our time. A yoga session gives you time away from using your electronic devices, and forces you to focus on yourself and your surroundings.
2. It helps your stress level.
Yoga is meant to be a relaxing and stress relieving process. When you are in yoga class, you have to focus on breathing and you can breath out the bad thoughts and moments of the day, to make room for positive thoughts and moments.
3. You’re strength building without realizing it.
While yoga can be strenuous, it is easier to do a longer yoga session for most people than to do other cardio and strength exercises. Since yoga sessions usually run for an hour, it requires more strength building stretched out over a longer period of time.
4. It builds flexibility.
A common reason why people do yoga is to gain flexibility, and stretch out in ways you wouldn’t think you could. A key to building flexibility is to practice a few poses that require more flexibility often, because the more practice, the easier the pose will get.
5. It teaches the correct breathing that can help in any situation.
Yoga is so relaxing because it requires you to focus on your own breath and keep a rhythm. This not only creates satisfactory calming exercises for the time, but allows you to learn the correct way to breath at any time.
6. It takes you out of your own head.
Since you are focusing on your breathing, you are breathing out the thoughts in your head. If you are completely focused and present in the yoga session, this can allow your brain to focus on smaller tasks and give it a little break from the day.
7. It helps you connect to your body.
Your body is something that you should take care of since the cliché goes, “you only have one body, take care of it.” Yoga is a good way to connect to your body and realize which ways you can and cannot move and stretch, and improve on them.
8. Yoga uses every muscle, from head to toe.
While strength and cardio workouts target one key portion of your body, yoga activates the most muscles groups at once. While this may make you sore the next day, ultimately yoga allows you to target different muscles in the session, while reaching every muscle and part of your body.
9. It releases aches and pains.
Since you stretch and turn in different positions you probably wouldn’t normally, yoga allows the body to heal and massage aches and pains that may be recent or old news. This way, you don’t have to pay for a massage to release tension and aches, you can practice yoga for a cheaper alternative.
10. You’re detoxing without the weird diets.
Yoga is said to “squeeze out” and detox your internal organs. Certain poses like the “three legged down dog” stimulate certain systems that detox your body without any teas or diet regimens.
See how you can go do yoga for free! At some studios in the area, the first class is free! Also, follow DC yoga studios like Yoga District (@yogadistrict), The Studio DC (@studiodcyoga) and companies like With Love DC (@withloveDC) to keep up to date with events and specials.
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