“Yoga allows you to find a new type of freedom that you didn’t even realize existed” BKS Iyengar.

Behind the word Yoga hides a whole world whose immensity is revealed throughout the practice. Have you ever taken a short trip there?

To feel the benefits, there's no secret: only diligent and regular practice can bring you real "results" in the long term, even if the idea is to practice without purpose.

Yes, you will have to use (or abuse) the famous “I can’t, I have yoga”.
We have written a short guide on this subject to motivate you to do yoga every day.

There are a thousand and one good reasons to practice yoga, the most convincing for you will be the one that best meets your needs.

By way of introduction, a closer look at two incredible benefits of yoga, which (a priori) should attract the attention of all yogis.

(1) According to the “Hatha Yoga Pradipika”, a manual written in the 14th century, Padmasana or the lotus posture would allow the body to get rid of all diseases. Just that !

(2) Even more legendary, the parsimonious use of the yogi's breath through meditation allows him to extend the duration of his existence. If this particularity of yoga has not (yet) been proven, its practice offers on the other hand the only wealth there is: the happiness of being in the present.

Much more than a simple physical activity, yoga is a philosophy of life. Let’s start this list of good reasons to get started (again) without further delay!

 

Physical benefits

There are more than 84,000 (!) different yoga postures. Don't worry, only Shiva knows them all by heart. If you want to know the 5 categories of yoga postures, click here!

With this plethora of asanas, we can imagine that there is at least one to stretch every cubic centimeter of muscle and joint.

(3 ) In short, yoga greatly relaxes you. Unless you are hyper-lax, any beginner will feel some tightness at the beginning which they will take care not to aggravate by “forcing” a posture. After a few downward and upward dogs, forward pincers or well-mastered butterfly postures, this nail stiffness will (I promise) eventually fade away.

(4) Yoga reduces the pain that we have always complained about (hello back pain, stiff neck and cracking hips!). For those who spend a lot of hours at work, discover some yoga postures to do secretly at your desk!

(5) and allows us to reclaim our body after trauma, pregnancy, illness, etc. by muscling us well beyond the surface.

(6) Yoga could increase bone density according to a pilot study conducted between 2005 and 2008 on 117 patients with osteoporosis . Only 11 of them completed the protocol, consisting of practicing yoga at least 10 minutes a day for 2 years. Too small to be representative and to put forward definitive results, this small group of courageous people did not “work” in vain. Analyzes show an increase in bone density in the hip bones and spine in all 11 patients. So every minute of yoga counts!

(7) Yoga could also modulate the expression of our genes , its relaxing effect allowing for example to “deactivate” those involved in the inflammation process. A little glimmer of hope to break the pangs of heredity.

(8) Yoga would help lower blood pressure and heart rate according to a study carried out in Thailand .

(9) To improve our lung capacity, nothing better than the postures of the cat, the tree, the camel and the slightly more complex one of the wheel. Participating in the expansion of the walls of the rib cage, these opening postures help us to get more air to the base of the lungs, for better oxygenation of our body with each breath.

(10) Yoga would help reduce the risk of developing heart disease . To rebalance the heart chakra, consider doing a series of the Cat and the Cow and repeat the sequence for as long as you like.

(11) Unless you practice it in an overheated room with Bikram sauce, yoga doesn't make you sweat a lot compared to other sports. And yet! Regular practice would help you maintain an ideal weight! According to the famous ritual of 108 sun salutations, which would take around 2 hours…

At this stage, you are wondering why Social Security doesn't cover yoga classes and quite frankly, we asked ourselves the same question :-)

Physiological benefits

Hold on to your straps dear Yoginis, because it's getting crunchy.

On the physiology side, yoga also works its little share of miracles.

(12) Yoga reduces stress and helps us let go. If you've ever purred with bliss in Shavasana at the end of a yoga session and almost fell asleep in this pose, then you know what's going on. we are talking.

(13) It would help reduce sugar levels in diabetics according to a study conducted in New Delhi in 2005 .

(14) Regular practice of postures such as the tree, warrior no. 2, half-moon, crow, etc. will give you perfect balance and help you regain your center of gravity. Standing still on one leg for a few minutes is a pleasure to be savored!

(15) With your teacher, discover Nadi Sodhana or alternate breathing and re-tame your breath. No more shallow breathing! And to avoid a moment of embarrassment, we blow our nose before each session!

(16) Yoga allows us to correct posture errors developed throughout our lives. Without necessarily giving us the grace of a prima ballerina, yoga helps us to stand up straight, with our hips well placed.

(17) For deep, restorative sleep, try yoga followed by a short meditation session. And why not a little Ayurvedic herbal tea? Snoring guaranteed! However, avoid Surya Namaskar just before going to bed, a salutation to the moon will be more likely to make you fall into the arms of Morpheus.

(18) To mention in this list without giggling: yoga would help increase our sexual energy tenfold! To awaken the Beyoncé that lies dormant in each of us, there's nothing like the half-bridge and all the postures that soften the hips and pelvis and tone the gluteal muscles and thighs.

🎵 🎹 If you like it you should put a ring on it, oh oh oh aw oh oh oh…🎵🎷

 

The intellectual benefits

Good news, yoga will allow you to improve certain cognitive functions such as attention, concentration and memory.

Between us, you will really need it to remember the Sanskrit names of the postures.

Let's do a little exercise here right away and read aloud: Urdhva Dhanurasana (wheel pose), Adho Mukha Vrkshasana (handstand), Bandha Padmasana (closed lotus pose).

QED.

(19) As we have just said, yoga improves brain function. A study carried out with 800 students in 2008 showed that their academic performance was inversely proportional to their stress level, tamed by the relaxing effect of the meditative state. What if yoga became a compulsory subject?

Another one study also showed a correlation between yoga practice and improved memory.

(20) With all the concentration required by each almost millimetric preparation of a posture in Hatha Yoga, you will not be surprised to be more attentive, even off the mat.

 

The emotional benefits

(21) Even better than a cure of romantic comedies or two margaritas drunk in a row, yoga would simply make you HAPPY. To put yourself in a good mood, try the sun salutation, an ancestral ritual which still today makes you radiate happiness. joy to yogis around the world.

(22) Yes, yoga helps us open the heart chakra, to the delight of our emotional intelligence and...that of our loved ones. To meditate !

(23) Practicing yoga regularly would make us more positive,

(24) and more able to manage our emotions. Bye bye little tantrums!

(25) A Boston University study published in 2010 showed that yoga was effective in relieving anxiety

(26) and would help us anchor ourselves in the present.

(27) Yoga gives us self-confidence, a feeling you will most likely experience after successfully completing your first headstand pose… and all subsequent ones.

 

Cultural benefits

(28) Between yoga and Ayurveda, there is only one step. Becoming interested in yoga will inevitably lead you to learn more about Indian culture, its philosophy and spirituality!

And you, do you see another good reason to practice yoga to add to this list? If so, do so in the comments ;-)

To find out more about the different types of yoga, click here!

• Vinyasa Yoga
• Nidra Yoga
• Iyengar Yoga
• Yin Yoga
• Bikram Yoga
• Yoga Derviche
• Kripalu Yoga
• Kundalini Yoga
• Ananda Yoga
• Hatha Yoga
• Jivamukti Yoga
• Prenatal Yoga
• Aerial Yoga
• Ashtanga Yoga
• Anusara Yoga
• Sivananda Yoga
• Budokon Yoga

To practice anytime at home, discover our 5 favorite online yoga classes.

And when temperatures are on the rise, adapt your yoga practice so as not to injure yourself!

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Photo credits :

• Jermaine
• Alexandra Mirghe
• Conscious design
• Mor shani