Benefits of Yoga

Yoga is an ancient health practice that uses a combination of movement, stretching, physical poses, deep breathing, and meditation. The practice is all about connecting the body, the mind, and the spirit. It has become a very popular form of exercise all over the world. However, since yoga is both a body and mind practice, it has even more benefits than you might expect.

Physical benefits:

• Improves flexibility and balance
• Builds muscle strength
• Improves posture
• Protects your spine
• Increases blood flow and drops your blood pressure
• Ups your heart rate
• Supports heart health
• Prevents joint breakdown
• Reduces chronic pain

Mental and emotional benefits:

• Reduces anxiety and stress levels
• Improves depression symptoms and boost serotonin
• Helps you focus
• Relaxes your nervous system
• Helps you sleep deeper
• Increases your self esteem
• Gives you inner strength
• Builds your awareness
• Helps with treatment for addiction
• Encourages self-care

If you are new to the yoga world and want to try a class out at home, YouTube is a great place to start! If you are ready to get out there and try something in person, there are many free or low-cost outdoor yoga classes going on around Pittsburgh this summer!