Many studies have been done to show that yoga can make a difference in how your body handles stress. Many diseases have their origins in a stress reaction, and while doctors are not entirely sure how yoga works and makes a difference, practicing yoga can definitely help moderate the body’s reaction to stress.

Yoga brings together the mind, body and spirit. Yoga involves stretching the body and creating various poses, all the while monitoring your breathing and moderating it through different breathing techniques. There are many styles of yoga and each style can be said to have a different purpose. Flow yoga can be almost an aerobic workout, having you move through a set of poses quickly. Other styles concentrate on slowly relaxing into a pose, stretching the muscles and joints deeply.

The physical benefits of yoga are fairly straightforward. Yoga develops flexibility and using body weight, can develop great strength. Yoga elongates muscles and exercises joints. Learning yoga breathing can help you in other aspects of your workouts. If can help you increase your endurance in your aerobic activity. Yoga offers you the ability to center yourself and to disconnect from the stresses of daily life. The spiritual aspect of yoga can be something you find restorative, connecting with a spirit of the universe.

Regular yoga practice can be a great addition to traditional strength training workouts. Finding room for yoga in your weekly workouts can help increase your flexibility and increase your endurance. Yoga will help you calm your body and its reaction to stress. After you practice yoga for awhile, you will find that you sleep more soundly. You will find that you might have an enhanced sense of well being and that your general level of anxiety is reduced. You might also find that your health improves. Perhaps allergies you might have had could lessen. A medical condition you might have been battling might improve. You will feel more energized, stronger, and more content.

The ability of yoga to reduce stress is just one benefit of incorporating it into your weekly workout routine. Learning new yoga poses can be an interesting and creative way to add some new dimension to your workout, challenging your mind as well as your body. Yoga will also help you become more flexible, more centered, and just might help fight the aging process!

Yoga is one of many ways you can reduce stress and gain flexibility. If yoga is too difficult for you than you can try stretching exercise. This is a great way to work your way up to becoming able to do yoga. Yoga exercises can be extremely difficult and it is a good idea to work your way up to being able to do the poses.

Using yoga blocks can also help you balance and stabilize if you are not flexible enough to touch the ground in some cases. If you do not have yoga blocks then get creative and use something lying around the house to help you out.

Author Bio: Jake is a fitness junkie who writes to let people know the importance of working out and eating right. Jake suggests checking out the P90x DVD Set or the Turbo Fire Workout.

Category: Wellness, Fitness and Diet
Keywords: yoga, workout, stress,