What Yoga Can Do for Your Body

Most people think of yoga’s amazing ability to help decrease stress and improve mindfulness. While yoga can definitely improve your mental wellness, it offers benefits for your body and your physical health, too.

At Health Meets Wellness, our team offers yoga as part of our comprehensive approach to wellness, tailoring therapy to your unique needs and goals. 

In this post, learn some profound ways yoga can benefit your body, especially as you age.

Better balance

We depend on our natural sense of balance more than we realize. However, as we age, that natural sense diminishes, leading to an increased risk of falls and related injuries.

Yoga improves natural balance by incorporating specific postures that enhance stability and strengthen our ability to maintain equilibrium. By instilling deep focus and an awareness of body positioning, yoga helps coordinate our movements naturally while reducing the risk of accidents.

Improved posture

Poor posture is a common problem, in part due to our reliance on laptops and other electronics at work. Long periods of sitting hunched over a desk or hours spent standing in one position can quickly lead to chronic pain, as can hours spent using phones and other electronics during “off” hours.

Through regular practice of yoga stances, yoga encourages optimal body positioning and alignment of the spine, joints, and limbs. When practiced regularly, yoga helps strengthen the muscles that support the spine and core, reducing strain that can lead to pain and other issues.

Greater flexibility

Flexibility often decreases with age, but we can lose it when we’re young, too — especially if we spend plenty of time sitting still with little movement and exercise.

Yoga positions gently stretch muscles and tendons, improving flexibility and supporting better joint health. Greater flexibility also supports better posture for reduced discomfort and helps prevent injuries like strains and sprains.

Increased strength

Many people associate yoga with stretching, thanks to its various moves. However, holding those poses also requires a fair amount of strength. Practicing yoga regularly is a great way to build muscle without the rigors of more intense activities, like lifting heavy weights.

In turn, those stronger muscles help support your back and core, causing fewer aches and pains. Improved strength also relieves strain on your weight-bearing joints, reducing the risk of arthritis. And, of course, more muscle mass makes it easier to maintain a healthy weight, bringing even more widespread health benefits.

Enhanced circulation

Yoga focuses on breathing technique, improving your intake of oxygen. That oxygen enters your bloodstream, traveling to your organs and tissues where it improves health and function at a cellular level.

Improved circulation also makes it easier for your body to remove toxins, including products associated with aging and chronic disease. Practicing breathing techniques is also a great way to incorporate relaxation into your daily routine.

Reduced stress

We mentioned stress reduction earlier, but this benefit bears repeating simply because of its effect on physical health. While lowering your stress levels definitely improves your emotional wellness, avoiding chronic stress is important for your physical health, too. 

Chronic stress can lead to inflammation, a major contributor to chronic conditions like arthritis and cardiovascular disease. Lowered stress levels also improve sleep quality, another factor that influences physical health.

Make yoga part of your healthy lifestyle

Yoga offers many health benefits. Best of all, it’s completely customizable, making it ideal even for people with limited mobility. To learn how we can customize a yoga routine just for you, call 934-203-8941 or request an appointment online with the team at Health Meets Wellness in Midtown East, New York City, today. We also offer telehealth appointments.