Top Benefits of Yoga for all Fitness Goals

Posted on January 29, 2014 by Sasha Hartley

2014 has been dubbed by fitness experts as the year of the yoga #selfie. Posting a photo of yourself in your most fashionable gym gear doing anything from a tree pose to a head stand has become one of the most popular ‘FITSPO’ images floating around social media.

And we love it! It so fantastic to see everyone from A-list celebrities like Naomi Campbell to everyday mums giving us a bit of fitsporation.

Why is the Yoga Selfie so popular? Well that comes down to Yoga’s universal appeal. No matter your age, fitness level or health goals Yoga can provide you with fantastic benefits. Not only this, but Yoga now comes in a shape and style to suit everyone. Not so convinced about sweating out your toxins in a 40-degree room? Why not try Hip Hop Yoga, Aerial Yoga, or even Power Yoga.

Robyn Berkley at Fashion PR agent in New York believes Yoga has become so fashionable as it ‘gives you a chance to be in the moment instead of constantly looking ahead, an escape from the fast-paced on the go lifestyle that more and more people are becoming susceptible’.

Still not sure Yoga is right for you? Or just want to know more?

Here are the top benefits of Yoga for your fitness goals.

Faster Recovery
Yoga is the pathway to faster recovery. This makes it perfect for very active people or even professional athletes with vast training routines, as it means your body can get back to peak performance quicker. Yoga has been proven to help you get a better night’s sleep due to its body relaxing and stress reducing properties. Also, as Yoga works your flexibility, stretching your entire body it has been shown to be as effective or more effective than pharmaceuticals for back pain and stiffness. Yoga also increases oxygen flow to the muscles so that they can repair and grow more quickly.
Fat Loss
Fat Loss is predominately about calories in verses calories out, and yoga as a low calorie burning exercise is often avoided by those looking to lose weight. However, yoga can have many benefits for fat loss. Firstly, Yoga increases the connection between your mind and body, which can help you when making healthy choices. Also Yoga helps reduce cortisol levels (caused by stress), which are responsible for holding on to stubborn fat. Yoga also increases muscle tone and the more muscle you have, the more fat you burn. But finally, yoga is now no longer a purely low calorie burning exercise with variations such as Hot Yoga or Power Yoga burning up to 400 calories an hour.
Muscle Tone
Yoga builds lean muscle, which will help define and tone your body. This is because yoga poses work both local and global muscles, which creates tight, lean muscle rather than bulky muscle. As mentioned before, yoga also increases the oxygen to your muscles, which helps them to grow.
Slimmer appearance
Yoga not only tones your muscles so that they look longer and trimmer, but as yoga is fantastic for strengthening your core it also improves your posture. This will make you look taller, slimmer and more confident instantly.
Stress Relief
Yoga calls for you to clear your mind, focus on your breathing and live in the present. This allows you to get your thoughts away from what’s stressing you out and relax. Even just the practice of focusing on your breathing can dramatically decrease stress reactions. Yoga has also been shown to help with concentration so you can more easily focus on tasks ahead and manage them rather than stressing
Increased Performance
Yoga not only increases performance by helping you get well rested. The stretching and flexibility aspect of yoga also means that you can improve your range of motion. This will allow you to perform exercises more easily. Yoga poses also massage your internal organs, which acts as a detox for the body. This means that your body operates more efficiently and has increased energy. You can then use your increased energy levels to improve your personal bests.

These are just some of the hundreds of amazing benefits of yoga! We have not even touched on the emotional and psychological benefits that yoga can provide.

Are you ready to try it out now?

Our Friends at The Urban List have compiled a list of their top Yoga spots in Melbourne for you to try out here. Check out their website for more trendy health and fitness spots around Australia.

Our Yoga Look: