Why Practice Yoga?

After thousands of studies and decades of scientific research, we have learned how wonderful yoga is at healing the body as well as promoting mental and emotional health and wellness. But if you’re new or curious about the practice, you might be wondering, “how exactly is yoga good for you? And why should you consider practicing these techniques?” Finding a reason to practice is important. It can be a huge motivation for starting and maintaining a regular practice. It also serves as an inner guide on how to set goals and monitor your progress.

Heals the Body

One of the most popular reasons to practice yoga is for its ability to heal the body. There have been extensive research studies on the many ways how yoga poses improve circulation, reduce inflammation, activate the parasympathetic nervous system and assist other bodily functions to promote healing and optimal health. Studies show that a regular yoga practice reduces chronic pain and heals many common complaints, like back pain, menopause symptoms, insomnia, high blood pressure, and arthritis[1].

Increases Flexibility

Our modern sedentary lifestyles encourage our muscles, ligaments, and tendons to tighten and shorten. The gentle stretches and slow deep breathing in yoga helps our muscles to relax and releases tension and tightness in the fascia. Improving flexibility reduces the risk of injury, improves our range of motion, and makes everyday movements like bending over or lifting things easier and easeful.

Builds Strong Muscles and Bones

Many of the yoga postures are weight bearing. These build muscular strength and boost bone density. Having strong muscles and bones is especially important as you age to prevent osteoporosis, but it also helps prevent common injuries.

Promotes Good Posture

Many Westerners suffer from poor posture because of too much sitting and screen time. Back bends and twists help to realign the spine and reduce tension and tightness in the back muscles. Mindful alignment and practicing core strengthening poses further help to promote good posture[2]. Many students report gaining an inch or two in height as well as reducing strain and tension in the neck and shoulders from a committed practice.

Equilibrates and Regulates Emotions

The mindful and meditative aspects of yoga equips yogis with the ability to pause, breathe, and then choose to how to react to triggering situations. By practicing challenging poses with yogic breathing techniques, you learn to respond to stressors with clarity, presences, and calmness. Learning how to process emotions and reduce overreactions creates a calm and stable emotional life. Over time, this process builds emotional resilience, allowing you to approach difficult situations with grace and composure.

Elevates Mood

Physical activity combined with deep breathing releases endorphins—the body’s “feel-good” chemicals—that increase feelings of happiness and relaxation. Yoga practice increases levels of several mood regulation brain chemicals, including gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), serotonin, and dopamine[3]. These neurotransmitters also help reduce feelings of anxiety and stress.

Improves Mental Health

Yoga instructors encourage students to practice non-judgement, self-acceptance, contentment, gratitude, and self-reflection. These all contribute to a more positive outlook on life. Taking part in yoga classes can enhance feelings of belonging, promote positive social interactions, and reducing feelings of loneliness and isolation. Yoga exercises strengthen the mind-body connection, improve self awareness, promote mental clarity, and reduce worry and anxiety—all of which improve one’s overall mental health[4].

Sharpens Focus and Concentration

Yoga demands focus and concentration for holding postures with proper alignment or for precisely following complicated sequences. Inversions (like headstand and shoulderstand) increase blood and oxygen circulation to the brain, which improving alertness, awareness, and memory[5]. Balancing postures like Tree pose, Eagle pose, and Warrior 3 also improve focus and concentration when fixing the gaze on a drishti or focal point.

Promotes Rest and Relaxation

In our fast-paced modern world, yoga offers sweet moments of deep stillness where mental clutter can dissolve. The regular practice of calming poses, breathwork, and meditation activates the “rest and renew” parasympathetic nervous system. This decreases stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline to promote inner peace and relaxation. These practices also can lower heart rate and blood pressure, further contributing to a state of equanimity.

Cultivates Community

Yoga classes create a sense of belonging and connection. This is especially valuable in a digital world where face-to-face interactions are becoming less common. Acceptance, compassion, and support are hallmarks of most yoga studios, which creates a safe space to be vulnerable and to feel seen and supported.

Deepens Relationships

Yoga encourages people to do both inner and outer work. Breathwork, mindful movement, and contemplation empower yogis to examine and improve their inner landscape. A consistent practice also builds strong listening, communication, compassion, awareness, and coping skills—all helpful for navigating relationship difficulties[6].

Better Sex

Yoga offers many benefits for sexual health and function, affecting both physical and emotional aspects of intimacy. Regular practice enhances stamina, improves circulation, and boosts overall sexual satisfaction[7]. Hip opening poses like Reclining Bound Angle pose, Happy Baby pose, Bridge pose, and Pigeon pose increase blood flow and circulation to the pelvic region, which is essential for healthy sexual function. This improved circulation enhances erectile function in men and can lead to greater sensitivity and arousal in both men and women.

Improves Quality of Sleep

Long-term yoga practice is associated with sustained improvements in sleep quality. Stress and anxiety—common barriers to good sleep—are reduced after practicing asanas, pranayama and meditation[8]. An evening practice of calming poses like Child, Seated Forward Fold, and Supine Twist soothe the nervous system, release physical tension, and prepare the body for rest. Pranayama techniques such as Alternate Nostril Breathing or Box Breathing can also be used before sleep to further promote relaxation and mental calm.

Helps Manage Weight

Regular yoga practice not only burns calories but it builds muscle mass, which temporarily raises the resting metabolic rate, allowing the body to burn more calories and fat at rest. The mindfulness created through practicing asanas and breathing boosts awareness of eating habits and satiety signals. This helps to reduce emotional eating and promoting healthier dietary choices[9].

Elevates Energy Levels

Unlike traditional workouts that leave you feeling tired and drained, yoga classes leave you feeling relaxed and revitalized. Many of the poses increase blood flow and circulation, delivering more oxygen and nutrients to the muscles and brain. While different styles of yoga will have different effects, most classes activate the chakras and nadis to balance and unblock the body’s energy centers.

Creates Inner Peace

Attaining a state of sattva or equanimity is one of the primary goals of yoga. Sattva is a balanced energetic state that is associated with purity, clarity, and balance. The calming, soothing and nourishing aspects of asanas, mediation, and breathing exercises promote a peaceful and harmonious life and a deep experience of inner peace.

Promotes Gratitude

While gratitude is not a core tenant of yoga philosophy, it is a natural byproduct of the practice. Reducing the amount of thoughts and replacing a negative thought with positive thought patterns provides more space for positive emotions like gratitude to arise. Many yoga instructors incorporate moments of gratitude practice in their classes to encourage students to live in the present moment with intention.

Final Thoughts

While there are many great reasons to practice yoga, what’s important is finding a benefit that resonates and motivates you. No matter what type of yoga you practice, I hope this list of reasons to practice is helpful in refining your intentions and goals. As you progress, it is common for your reasons to practice to shift and change. If there are other reasons that motivate you to stay or step on this path, let us know in the comments.

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