Here at The Wembley Club, we pride ourselves on our fitness. Yoga is one of the many classes Wembley offers, and members love it. Maintaining a regular yoga practice can provide many physical and mental health benefits.
For Beginners
Yoga is excellent for everyone, from those just starting to those who are advanced. It is great for beginners because there are many different types of practices. There are always modifications to poses that help when you are not quite as flexible at first. Like everything in life, the more you work on it, the better you will get. The more you come to classes, the better you will get at the poses.
Physical Benefits
Let’s start with the physical benefits of yoga. Aside from the obvious, increased flexibility, there are many other ways it will improve your health. You will notice increased muscle strength and tone. Along those lines, yoga will help maintain a balanced metabolism and will even assist in weight reduction.
Many professional athletes have attested to the advantages of yoga. When you increase flexibility and mobility, you are also protecting your body from injury. For example, professional basketball player and beloved Cleveland Cavalier, Kevin Love, has repeatedly spoken out about how much yoga has affected his game. “Yoga has given me a newfound balance, strength, and endurance,” the 6’10”, 240-pound Cavaliers forward says. “And my body has leaned out because of it.”
Mental Health
Mental health is just as important as physical health. Yoga is one way to improve mental health. A main focal point in yoga is breathing and meditation. Yoga practice creates mental clarity, relaxes the mind, and centers attention.
Stress is a major epidemic in our society. Yoga is a self-soothing technique that alters the stress response system. In turn, this helps quiet down the nervous system and decreases cortisol (the stress hormone). For example, Restorative Yoga dials down the sympathetic nervous system’s fight-or-flight response because of the longer-held poses. By slowing down the sympathetic system, you are creating space for the parasympathetic nervous system (responsible for activating the relaxation response) to work at its full capacity.
Improving mentally can also come from lowering the tension in your body. Everyone carries their stress differently, and in different places. When you are extremely stressed, your body will hold onto stress. You can feel tension in your neck, shoulders, back, hips, etc. Oftentimes, sleep loss is directly correlated to stress. When practicing yoga, you are not only clearing your mind, but also relaxing your entire body, which lets your stress go.
Conclusion
Yoga has many advantages. Not only will you notice changes in your physicality, but you will also see drastic changes in your overall mental health. Wembley offers a variety of yoga classes to fit all of your needs!
