People often think they can’t do yoga as they aren’t flexible enough. This is a complete myth. You don’t need to be super bendy to incorporate yoga into your weekly routine. Not only is it good for your body, yoga also helps to reduce anxiety and stress.

Here are some of the positive effects of adding yoga in your life that you might not have even thought of.

Improves Posture

Yoga helps to strengthen your core which is a key part in improving your posture. Poses such as downward dog, sphinx and cobra are handy when it comes to strengthening your core. A common daily routine for people consists of sitting at a desk all day which can result in back pain. Having a good posture helps to reduce this pain whilst also boosting productivity and confidence. Doing a few simple yoga moves can help to improve your posture and have a knock on effect in other aspects of your life.

Improves Sleep

Yoga involves breathing exercises which can help make it easier to fall asleep. A key part of yoga is mindfulness which can also allow you to improve your sleep. Breathing techniques and relaxation not only help you get to sleep, they also help to allow your body to fall into a deeper sleep. This means that your body is less likely to be disturbed during the night and you will wake up in the morning feeling more refreshed.

Improves anxiety

Yoga allows you to connect with your mind and body which can help you control thoughts of anxiety and depression. Child’s pose and tree pose are 2 basic moves which allow you to control your breathing. Yoga is all about taking it at your own pace which allows you to think more positively. Studies have been done which show us that there is a significant decrease in feelings of anxiety and depression when practising yoga compared to people who don’t. The science proves this so even doing a few minutes a day could benefit you massively.

Improves flexibility

Whilst flexibility may not be a priority for you, it does have health benefits that you may not know about. Being more flexible reduces the risk of injuries and allows your muscles to move more efficiently. This means that day-to-day tasks would become easier which can leave you feeling more energetic. Different poses range from small stretching to more expert ones. You can control which ones you do and how long you do them which allows flexibility to be achieved at your own level.

Helps with pain relief

There are many types of pains that people experience, and doing yoga can help to ease these symptoms. Period cramps, arthritis and joint pain can all be relieved by doing a few simple stretches. The positive mental state that yoga creates allows you to have a better response to the pain. Supported bridge pose and supported cobblers’ pose have been known to reduce menstrual cramps as it helps to stretch the muscles and ease the pain as it has a calming effect on the nervous system.

There are so many benefits to yoga which help with overall mind and body positivity. Yoga classes are a fun way of learning how to do different poses and allow you to have help from a qualified teacher. I have done HotPod yoga classes in the past which involves the room temperature being turned up to 37 degrees. You perform a usual yoga workout but the heat allows your body to become more flexible. Worth trying if you ever get the chance.

However, if you don’t have the financial ability or confidence to attend a class, you don’t have to. You don’t even need to leave the house to do yoga. On Youtube, you can find thousands of yoga videos ranging from different skill levels. You also don’t need to spend lots of time on yoga either as even just 15 minutes can have a worthwhile impact on your health.

Yoga should be added to your lifestyle to help improve your mind and body. It’s completely up to you how intense you do it but even simple stretches can have a lasting impact on your health.