Benefits Of Yoga Are Often Felt Very Quickly After Starting

Yoga as a practice of breathing comes from about 1500 BC. The practices we know feature a combination of stretching, held poses and focused breathing that also lends itself to meditation, a fully expanded set of lungs and an oxygenated brain.

Yoga is also beneficial to people with a wide array of mobility challenges. There are many moves you can do in a chair. If you can't get up and down off the floor, you can still do many moves just standing on your mat. For those with balance challenges, many moves can be done with a chair nearby to give you a steadying boost. If you can only do floor work, you can also stay down there and work on stretches that support spinal flexibility, core strength and joint health. In the end, there are a huge number of different benefits that can be seen when considering yoga. 

1 - Balance

Your first few yoga classes can have a big impact on the quality of your balance. Some of the most simple standing poses simply require standing with your feet about shoulder width with your hands hanging loose and your shoulders squared to the front. From this pose, you can flex your toes, which is critical to a healthy stance. You can tighten and release your glutes, which is critical to core strength. Finally you can draw your navel close to your spine, which engages your core. Being fully aware of how your body weight is centered over your feet can do a lot to improve your balance in just a class or two.

2 - Limber and Oxygenated Muscles

Going from all fours into a down dog stretches your lower back, your hamstrings, your calves and your achilles while strengthening your feet. As you're focusing on your legs and feet, you may suddenly notice that you're balancing your upper body weight on your arms.

Another big benefit of the downward-facing dog position is that your brain will get lots of fresh blood, because it will be on a level or slightly lower than your bottom. During a down dog, make sure you keep your spine nice and straight and consider lowering your forehead to stretch your neck.

3 - A Fully Engaged Core

Because so many yoga moves allow you to feel your core muscles intensely, you can really dig in and pull that navel in tight. As your core gets stronger, you'll feel it engage automatically when you

• Lift something heavy
• Twist your body
• Expand your stance
• Hit a patch of unstable footing

Building a strong, deeply connected core can increase blood flow to your pelvis and spine. Yoga moves, both on and off the mat, can build core awareness and help you feel it engage.

4 - Improved Breathing

Every yoga instructor, from beginner to advanced, will talk about breathing. While we all know how to breathe, we often forget or don't think about breathing deeply. Quality breaths work most effectively when you can feel your tummy expand and your rib cage open up. Beginners will also learn to stretch, hold, breathe, and move to the next pose. Adding a focus on breath with each move is great for your lungs and your focus. If you have avoided exercise because you hate getting out of breath, find a yoga class!