We hear so often that someone would love to try yoga but worry that they ‘aren’t flexible enough’, or that ‘yoga is just for women’ or even that they’ve seen the yoga poses so often seen on Instagram and there’s ‘no way I can do a handstand like that’!
However, we firmly belief that yoga is for everyone, regardless of your age, gender, flexibility, or experience level! There are so many benefits that can be gained from a yoga class, whether they are physical, mental or spiritual. Our different classes have different aims, depending on what you would like to focus on and gain from the class. Here are just a few reasons why you should be adding yoga into your routine:
Physical Benefits
Beginners often come to the mat in search of flexibility, space and mobility in their bodies. After a class or two or three, particularly for those practicing Vinyasa, students realise just how physical the practice can be – and building strength becomes an unexpected bonus.
Yoga promotes strength of the upper body, spine and lower body, It helps to enhance balance, improve range of motion of our joints and gently increase flexibility. This is the important word – gently. Movements are graduated, flowed and integrated into a progressive routine which supports and facilitates better movement, not forcing it any way, shape or form! Our Recharge Vinyasa Flow class is a perfect example of this.
Don’t underestimate the importance of tuning into and improving your breath through the class as well.
We often take our breath for grated – after all, inhaling and exhaling are completely subconscious, and almost unintentional, activities. Yoga teaches that breath is incredibly powerful… and it sounds obvious, but our life depends on our breath! Go from shallow, tiny, quick breaths that you don’t even notice to deep, long, meaningful belly breaths. Difficult poses require fuller breaths to sustain them physically, but an awareness of breath and how to breathe is definitely something that is then taken off the mat and into everyday life. The breathe can then be used to communicate to your body and your nervous system, breathing to slow your mind down and reduce cortisol levels (stress hormones) which helps to calm the nervous system and reduce muscular tension.
Psychological Benefits
Research on yoga has shown the benefits in:
- Improving sleep
- Providing relief from anxiety, stress, and depression
- Developing mindfulness practice
- Developing improved self-compassion
Our Restorative Yoga and Morning Flow & Restore classes are perfectly placed for you to improve these elements of your wellbeing, in a calming, supportive environment.
And don’t forget the amazing social benefits that come from attending a class with a group of friends or like-minded individuals! The buzz and energy between people before and after class, conversations and connections about life, that feeling of a sense of community.
Yoga is so much more than having to be ‘super flexible’ – in fact flexibility really isn’t a requirement!! Our experienced yoga instructors are here to facilitate your practice, utilising yoga equipment such a blocks or bolsters to support you in positions or providing you with alternative movements so that you can gain these amazing benefits. Whether you are a complete beginner or are familiar with your yoga practice, then we have a class that suits you.
Taking the time out of your day to connect to your body and your mind, slowing everything down, focussing on your breath, recharging and resetting should be an important part of everyones routine in order to maintain whole body health and wellbeing.
Yoga provides you with tools that benefit your physical, mental and emotional well-being during the class – and more importantly tools that you can implement into your everyday life too.
