Yoga has been a practice studied and performed for more than 5,000 years and is popular all around the world. Just 15 minutes of yoga a day can rewire your brain chemistry and boost your mood.
From honing flexible muscles to building mental fortitude, the benefits of yoga encompass both mind and body – a chiropractor’s dream! The best bit? You don’t have to practice for hours on end to achieve them. In fact, the benefits of yoga are so potent, even a simple 15-minute daily routine is enough to totally transform your health.
Improve flexibility and mobility
Improved flexibility is one of the most frequently-touted benefits of yoga, and for good reason. By spending just a few minutes each day in poses like Warrior and Downward Facing Dog, you can expect to see a difference in your mobility pretty soon, regardless of whether you’re pretty bendy or stiff as a board.
Build strength
Lifting heavy weights isn’t the only way to build muscle – it’s entirely possible to boost your strength with a daily yoga practice.
Correct posture
Daily yoga helps improve your posture, making you walk taller and sit up straighter at your desk.
Support heart health
It’s one of the lesser-known benefits of yoga, but yoga is heart-healthy. Studies show that making time for the mat can reduce your cholesterol levels and even slow the progression of heart disease when combined with dietary changes and stress management. It also improves your circulation.
Cultivate self-awareness
Since yoga strengthens your mind-body connection, it helps you manage unpleasant emotions rather than reaching for external distractions to suppress those feelings.
Increase your energy
From a spiritual perspective, a daily yoga practice is said to awaken the main energy centres (called chakras) in your body. Great poses for extra energy are those that extend the spine, such as the tree pose, allowing energy to circulate throughout the whole body, and poses that open the chest, like the cobra pose, encouraging the intake of more breath.
Reduce stress
Yoga is a bona-fide stress buster, so there’s good reason to squeeze in a lunchtime session.
Sleep better
Another of the more everyday benefits of yoga involves a better night’s kip. In a study by the Swami Vivekananda Yoga Research Foundation, participants who practiced yoga fell asleep quicker, slept for longer and felt more well-rested compared to people who didn’t.
Breathe better
Yogic breathing techniques (called pranayama) focus on slowing down the breath and breathing from the pit of your stomach to the top of your lungs.