How Yoga Helps With Arthritis In our daily lives, not all cartilage in the joints is used and it is denied fresh nutrients. Neglected areas of cartilage might possibly eventually wear out and expose the underlying bone. Practicing yoga will take your joints through their full range of motion. Yoga will squeeze and soak the cartilage which will help prevent degenerative arthritis possibly mitigating disability.
How Yoga Helps With Flexibility Typically, when someone thinks of yoga they think of the bendy Instagram worthy poses. Being inflexible doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be doing yoga. You may not be able to even touch your toes in your first yoga class but don’t let that dissuade you. If you stick with it, you’ll notice a gradual loosening, and eventually, over time, you’ll notice that you are not only able to touch your toes but bring your palms all the way to the floor. You’ll also begin to notice that other aches and pains start to disappear. Tight hips, hamstrings, etc. can cause improper alignment in our joints and back which will begin to cause pain. Yoga will begin to build the connective tissue, lengthening the muscles, and you’ll notice knee joint pain and back pain lessen or go away entirely.
I enjoy a somewhat active lifestyle and love being outdoors. I would go on very long bike rides and would always feel sore and exhausted afterwards, which is expected after 100-150 miles on a bike. After doing yoga for a few months I started to notice that the usual joint pain wasnt there. In fact, I started to notice that I wasnt feeling tired after finishing a ride. After what should have been a grueling 130 miles on a bike I was able to run a few miles and go for a long swim, and I still felt pretty good. I know it was because of the yoga - the stretching, the concentration, the breathing. Without it I could still do these exercises - but with it I felt more alive afterwards.
How Yoga Helps With Menopause During menopause, fluctuating levels of estrogen and progesterone can cause many uncomfortable symptoms. The most common symptoms are an erratic menstrual cycle, mood swings, hot flashes, irritability and anxiety. Restorative yoga poses can relax the nervous system and improve the function of the endocrine system which will help the body to adjust to the new these new levels.
How Yoga Helps With Scoliosis Scoliosis causes an imbalance in our bodies by favoring one side over the other. It affects all aspects of life and changes not only how you sit but how you walk as well. Yoga will help you to create a balance, strengthening the weak side and teaching you how to maintain this balance. Side plank is the most effective pose. This will target the spine, creating connections in the spinal muscles to help align the back. The goal should not be to straighten the back, but instead how to relate to our backs and learn to accept them as they are.
How Yoga Helps With Building Muscle There are hundreds of muscles in our bodies and most workouts are designed to target specific regions. A yoga asana practice is intended to target the entire body, and it is very likely you’ll use muscles that you never realized you had. Strong, lean muscles aren’t just for helping us to look good; building these muscles can help with arthritis and back pain as we age.
How Yoga Helps With Posture For most of us we never learn how to stand properly and as we age we become more and more forward-leaning. The normal curves in your neck and lower back begin to flatten out due to improperly holding the weight of your head too far forward. This continues to attribute to fatigue, neck and back pain. Yoga will teach you how to fix your posture, and remind you as you go throughout your day how to make the slight adjustments to combat the fatigue and pain.
How Yoga Helps With Multiple Sclerosis Yoga will not cure MS, but a person with MS needs to stretch their body in the morning. Yoga will help with the spasticity, the tightness and the stiffness that the disease causes. It will help you to live more comfortably in your body. Through its postures and breathing you will learn how to focus your mind and tune in to your body. Doing yoga with a meditative component will help to improve your focus and mental well-being.
A friend of mine was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and she took it really hard. While talking with the people at the local MS Chapter they mentioned how yoga would help with the short and long term affects of MS. They discussed how the stretching and strengthening exercises will help a person with the tightness and stiffness that the disease causes. Having somebody to go with was key to help build a regular routine, so I really started yoga to support her through this tough period of her life.
How Yoga Helps With Pain Yoga can lessen the amount of pain that you feel and make it so you don’t need as much medication. According to studies back pain, joint pain, arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, and other chronic conditions can improve through a regular asana practice, meditation, or a combination of the two. When you relieve your pain, you are able to be more physically active and you should notice your mood improving.
I have a friend who has a great body who does yoga religiously. My initial interest in yoga was to look like her! I also had extreme hip pain from running and constantly suffered from a kinked neck. I was seeing a chiropractor 2x a week. I started yoga and immediately felt the effect and less pain in my hip and neck. I have not seen a chiropractor in 2 years since practicing. Within 4-5 weeks of attending only once a week, I made the statement “I don’t care if yoga makes me fat, I love everything about practicing”.