Aloha,
Spring is here and the weather is warming up! People are getting outside and enjoying the beautiful sunshine. Personally, the warmer weather motivates me to exercise more and shake off my winter’s hibernation. But as I exercise more, I experience more aches, pains, and tight muscles. I constantly need to stretch in order to keep my body mobile, flexible, and injury-free. I find yoga and stretching help significantly with my aches and pains from a bulging lumbar and neuropathy in my feet and legs.
Yoga can help in more ways than you can imagine ranging from relieving stress to protecting your spine. Best of all it gives an overall sense of tranquility. I put together a list of fifteen benefits of yoga after reading two great articles from Yoga Journal (link) and Sports Rec (link) websites:
Encourages Flexibility
Increases Range of Motion
Accelerates Pain Relief
Induces Relaxation
Improves Posture
Builds Muscle
Protects Spine
Improves Circulation
Boosts Immunity
Elevates Heart Rate
Lowers Blood Pressure
Improves Balance
Releases Tension
Enhances Sleep Quality
Improves Optimism
All of these benefits make me want to grab my yoga mat and have a quick session! Yoga is such a great way to start your day and taking the time to release the tension will improve your health immensely. Not only is yoga the best way to stretch and keep my body functioning, it also promotes inner peace during difficult times. Practicing yoga can heal you in so many ways!
From each yoga practice, you develop a sense of patience with yourself and body as you see slight improvements. You will notice how well you sleep after going through a stretching session as your body is relieved, realigned, centered, and relaxed. Most times I don’t go through an entire yoga session, but I use the stretches I’ve learned, and it has become part of my routine before bed to relax my body.
Try doing a quick stretch routine before bed and see how well it improves your sleep quality. I’ve included one of my favorite YouTube yoga instructors I can put on anytime (any level, quick sessions, long sessions, etc.). I would love to hear what you do to help relax and improve your body through yoga in the comments below!
Namaste,
Melissa