Stephanie Lapinsk -Health & Fitness Advisor- Mom, and Entrepreneur: Workout Wednesday

Good morning!

Today I am going to talk about Yoga.

My mother in law came to me recently asking me if I know anything about it and if I have tried it. To be completely honest I have not tried it before. I have been wanting to try it. She asked me if it is good for you to do yoga, so I told her that I have heard it is very good for you. So doing some research, and this is what I have found. An article from St Johns providence Health Center...

More flexible

1. Increase your flexibility and reduce risk for injury. Each yoga pose targets specific muscles, thereby increasing flexibility and reducing the risk for injury in your activities.

If you’re just getting started in yoga, be sure your teacher knows about any injuries or health conditions you have and is aware and knowledgeable enough to advise you of any positions you should avoid.

2. Reduce stress. Yoga can help soothe the mind and lower stress levels by focusing the mind on the moment and the movements rather than on external distractions.

3. Increase your awareness and concentration. A primary component of yoga is rhythmic, focused breathing.

4. Understand the mind/body connection better. Yoga requires you to focus all your energies on performing each movement or pose precisely. This benefits both the mind and body and teaches you to integrate the two.

5. Gain strength and stamina. More vigorous styles of yoga, such as Vinyasa and Ashtanga, promote strength and stamina as well as flexibility and relaxation.

Muscles in balance

6. Keep muscles in balance. Those who are new to yoga may become aware of muscle and flexibility imbalances they hadn’t noticed before.

7. Improve balance and stability. Balancing poses require you to engage your core stabilizer muscles, which can help improve overall stability.

8. Improve posture. Yoga poses strengthen and open tight areas of the body, such as the shoulders and muscles of the upper back, which is necessary for good posture.

9. Develop body awareness. Yoga requires you to contract and/or relax specific muscles as you stretch into each pose, thereby increasing awareness of the body’s strengths and weaknesses.

10. Receive cross-training benefits. Yoga combines flexibility, strength training, and balance to create a mind/body activity that’s a perfect addition to any fitness regimen.

Even people who participate in different kinds of sports or physical activities find doing yoga on a daily basis provides a range of physical and mental benefits unavailable anyplace else. Once you've learned a few yoga moves and breathing techniques, you can easily integrate them into your regular fitness routine.