Over the years, yoga has been growing in popularity with Americans. It has changed from an eccentric activity of the few to a widely popular activity for fitness, health, and stress relief among all ages. More and more people are recognizing the many benefits of yoga for the whole body. For anyone looking to get into fitness for the first time (or after a long break), wanting to improve their balance, hoping to alleviate joint stiffness, or simply needing to relax, yoga might be exactly what you’re looking for.
Yoga is a series of exercises and poses designed to build strength, increase flexibility, and relax the mind and body. It can be an excellent supplement to physical therapy and a great activity for your health overall. It’s easy to start—many classes are designed for beginners with little to no experience—and it doesn’t take long to experience the benefits. Here are just a few ways yoga could help you:
- Increasing flexibility – Gentle, careful stretching is a major part of yoga. This can slowly increase your flexibility, as well as improve your range of motion and alleviate stiffness and pain in your joints.
- Building muscle tone and strength – Holding yoga poses is more challenging than you might think. This works balance skills and tones your muscles without the stress of hard impacts or repetitive pounding of other athletic activities.
- Improving circulation and breathing – Yoga’s calm, consistent movement and measured breathing is great for your heart and lungs. It gets your blood pumping and improves your breathing overall.
- Conditioning yourself – Many other activities require physical conditioning to avoid overuse and strain. Yoga can make an excellent form of cross-training, or help you build up strength after an injury.
- Relaxing yourself – Yoga focuses on connecting the mind and the body, helping to relax you and counteract stress.
There are many benefits of yoga for the body and the mind. The careful stretching and strengthening can definitely be helpful from a physical therapy standpoint—though you may still need therapy-specific exercises to deal with pain or weakness in your body. Our team will be happy to help you find the right balance for your fitness. Contact our teams at Castle Pines Physical Therapy and Cherry Creek Physical Therapy today for more information or an appointment. Use the web request forms or call (303) 805-5156 to reach either of our Colorado locations.