Benefit of Yoga | Zanne Xanne’s Tips

“Yoga adds years to your life and life to your years,” – Alan Finger.

I have begun my yoga journey since Jan 2018 after I had a bad knee pain and Achille Tendon in 2017. Hence, I was advised by my doctor to stop the high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and I switched my training to yoga, which helps to stretch the muscle and reduce the pressure on my knee that caused pain. After a few months, I realize there are some changes in my body and I hope it helps you all to gain some awareness in yoga practice in daily lifestyle too!

1. HELPS IN BREATHING

Stress and anxiety always come with shallow breathing. When we are anxious, we start to forget to breath. However, there is a link between yoga and breath, most of the yoga exercise begin with some yoga breathing exercise that helps to calm anxiety by slowing the breath and heart rate. Some of the yoga poses for instance Bridge, Cobra and Upward-Facing Dog help to open and stretch the chest, stimulate the lungs and even can be the therapeutic for asthma.

2. DESTRESS

Breathing consciously has a biological effect to our mental and emotional. Yoga training helps to lower Cortisol- a stress hormone in our body and defeat chronic stress at certain level. Two 90 minutes of yoga classes per week is sufficient to release stress and depression according to the research on Yoga And Meditation Coming Out Of Germany that published in April 2009.

3. IMPROVE CONCENTRATION

Yoga breathing exercise helps to improve the concentration by calming the mind and improve the memory. In order to control your mental, you have to stay focus despite any distraction around and it helps you to perform better at tasks. Yoga is a traditional practice since the old days to maintain the balancing between your body and soul. Here are some of the yoga poses that help to improve your concentration, such as Vajrasana, Garudasana, Sarvangasana, Vrikshasana and Halasana.

4. INCREASE FLEXIBILITY & REDUCE BACK PAIN

Frequently, I had a low back pain problem due to prolonged sitting and it’s getting worse during my menses days. After I had begun my yoga practice weekly, it gradually reduces the lower back pain by increasing my body’s flexibility. Yoga helps to stretch and strengthen your muscle, which reduces the load on your back and decrease the ache that you feel. Hence, I no longer rely on plaster to relieve my back pain during my menses days. Here are some of the yoga poses that help to reduce low back pain, such as Supine Twist, Spinx Pose, Downward Facing Dog, Cat and Cow Pose.

5. HELPS IN SLIMMING AND BODY SHAPING

Just like others physical exercise, yoga helps to burn calories especially Hot Yoga and Bikram Yoga, which burn more energy at a higher rate. During the practice, you have to keep your body moving throughout the class by practicing different kind of challenging postures and sequence to get the heart rate up. As a result, you’ll burn a significant amount of calories, which result in fat loss and body toning.

6. STRENGTHEN THE CORE

Core is extremely vital for spinal health, organ tone, digestive comfort and generally living life. You can avoid major of injury in your daily life if your core is strong enough. Almost every shape requires the activation of the core in yoga where it requires you to engage your abdominal muscle in order to build a strong and stable center. You can simply build your core strength via simply organizing your body to hold and move based on your own weight. Here are some of the yoga poses that help to strengthen the core, such as Boat Pose, Dolphin Pose and Side Plank Pose.

7. IMPROVE BALANCE

At any age, balance and coordination are extremely important in our daily life. When you are growing older, we prompt to fall and we need to find a balance to prevent from fall and injury. By practicing yoga, it allows your body to have the capacity for speed and allowing it to respond rapidly enough to catch yourself from falling.

8. SUPPORT JOINT HEALTH

Yoga’s movements are low impact and it allows you to use your joints without hurting them. Moreover, yoga helps to strengthen the muscles around the joint and lesser the load that caused pain. Patient with arthritis often sees improvement in their pain and mobility with regular gentle yoga practice, this has improved the quality of the lifestyle.