Yoga has many benefits and is widely practised across the world by people of all ages. But before you grab your yoga mat and get started, here is a beginners guide to yoga…
What is Yoga?
Yoga is a form of exercise that enhances and maintains both mental and physical wellbeing. This is done through a series of postures that are used together with movements and breathing to build flexibility and strength. Yoga is thousands of years old and originated in India, but it has now been adopted and embraced by a wide variety of countries and cultures.
What Are the Benefits of Yoga?
The benefits of yoga are numerous. First and foremost, regular participation boosts muscle development, such as strength and tone. It also increases flexibility and movement. It is often thought to be especially helpful to those with chronic pain.
Other fantastic physical benefits that come from practicing yoga are:
• Better respiratory function
• Restoring and building on existing general energy levels
• Maintaining cardiovascular health
• Developing a strong metabolism
• Recovery from injuries
• A developed sense of balance
Physical health alone is not the only benefit of yoga; it is also a proven way of managing many mental health issues such as stress, anxiety, and depression. It’s also known to help with problems sleeping too. The practice is even recommended by the NHS for physical and mental ailments alike.
How to Get Started with Yoga
Yoga is popular enough that it is usually easy to find yoga classes in most areas, so you are bound to find a beginner class near you. However, yoga at home is also more than viable. You could opt for a virtual yoga instructor, check out YouTube or other online videos, buy a book, or download one of the various yoga apps available. All you really need is a quiet place, some time, a little space, and a yoga mat.
Why is a Yoga Mat Important?
The yoga mat itself is actually surprisingly important to good yoga practice. It helps with your own health and safety; allowing for resistance and grip in all of the right places in order to carry out the poses in the correct and safe manner.
Choosing a Yoga Mat
Choose a yoga mat with good grip. Whilst there are plenty of cheap basic mats on the market, if you would like to invest a little more into purchasing a yoga mat, there are some lovely ones with gorgeous designs to choose from too.
Adult yoga mats are generally a standard size of roughly 6ft × 2ft but do come in a range of thickness, so be sure to pick one that best suits your needs. There are also child size yoga mats available too.
Summary
If you are struggling with your mental, emotional, or physical health, you may find that yoga offers some relief. And even if you aren’t, it is great for maintaining good health too of course! In short, yoga is a relaxing gentle yet effective exercise practice that suits all ages.
*This is a collaborative post