As you might have heard already, yoga has ancient Indian roots that enhance personal growth and well-being. Despite its systemic philosophical approach, yoga is not a religion but complements most spiritual paths.
The Top Benefits of Practicing Yoga – Yoga 101 with Bodybuilding Coach Maxwell Alexander – Yoga Video
Yoga poses and focused breathing are just two of the physical aspects of yoga (Hatha Yoga). This results in a greater union of mind, body, and spirit. Yoga is accessible to anyone, regardless of body type, age, experience, or physical ability.
Pop culture would have us believe that yoga involves twisting your body into uncomfortable positions as you stare at a candle and breathe incense. However, yoga is much more than that. It is a series of exercises that almost anyone can do – not just the young and in good shape. Bodybuilders should definitely consider yoga because it’s a known fact that bodybuilding training reduces flexibility and literally shortens muscles.
Yoga is a tool for gaining body-mind awareness to enhance your spiritual/religious practices. You will feel energized and relaxed after a yoga session. As you work your muscles and align your bones, you will breathe deeply, oxygenating your lungs and blood, and you will feel deep relaxation.
Bringing awareness to the body and working the muscles allows you to more deeply relax them than any other form of exercise. No other exercise program will give you a deeper appreciation for your body and mind than yoga.
Yoga is beneficial for both people who have never exercised before and Olympic athletes. Traditional yoga focuses on the alignment of your body as you hold poses. It is this precision and the awareness that comes with it that leads to tremendous growth, physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Practicing yoga requires practice and effort, as with all great arts and sciences. As a result, we always reap fruit in proportion to the seeds we plant and nurture. Thus, if you are looking for a quick fix, an instant cure, or relief of surface symptoms without healing the true cause of your ailment, yoga will not fulfill your needs.
If you prefer a balanced and complete form of exercise that can be started by anyone over the age of seven in any condition, and that becomes more challenging as you become more advanced, yoga may be for you!
The benefits of practicing yoga regularly are numerous. As well as maintaining a healthy lifestyle, yoga clears your mind and allows you to focus – something that we could all use from time to time!
If you are looking for more information on how to infuse more Yoga into your lifestyle, consider reading my new book “Introduction to Yoga and Meditation” on Amazon Kindle.
