Hands up anyone who thinks that Yoga is all about just a good stretch? If you found yourself putting your hand up, you\u2019d be wrong. Very wrong. There\u2019s so much more to Yoga than it just being a stretching exercise. Take a look.<\/p>\n
The stress-reducing properties of Yoga are legendary. Yogis from all over the world are famed for saying that when they come out of a Yoga class, they are calm, relaxed and are ready to take on any of life\u2019s challenges that it throws at them.<\/p>\n
But before you dismiss this as a \u2018nice-to-have\u2019 rather than an essential, minimising your stress has proven health benefits. For example, when you\u2019re stressed your immunity is extremely low. This make you very susceptible to any disease from the common cold to something more serious such as bronchitis.\u00a0 So the next time you feel a cold coming on, instead of heading for the pharmacy why not haul out your Yoga mat and head to your nearest Yoga class!<\/p>\n
As we\u2019ve written in previous articles, Yoga was developed in order for monks, who spent many hours in meditation, to help them alleviate aches and pains in their muscles. Thus Yoga is a very low-impact exercise \u2013 many Yoga poses are isometric exercises<\/a> – which makes it very good for people who suffer from arthritis, osteoporosis and other diseases of the joints as it places minimal pressure on these areas.<\/p>\n When you hear the term \u2018weight-bearing exercise\u2019 the first thing that you probably will be thinking of is resistance training in the form of free weights or the like. Well, you\u2019ll be happy to know that Yoga is a form of weight-bearing exercise as well. Instead of using external weights, it uses your body weight to give you the same benefit. So the good news is that you don\u2019t need to head to the free weights section to derive the benefits of this form of exercise.<\/p>\n Proprioception is your body\u2019s ability to know where your limbs are without you have to physically look to see where they are. This sense is important because, for example, it will help your body to adjust to unfamiliar terrain. For example if you\u2019re walking on an uneven surface, your sense of proprioception will send signals to your feet and ankles to adjust your muscle activation accordingly so preventing your from falling.<\/p>\n There are certain Yoga poses which will help you develop your sense of proprioception. One of these is Utkatasana or Chair Pose. Here\u2019s how to perform this:<\/p>\n Watch this video<\/a> for a simple demonstration of this Yoga pose.<\/p>\nIt is a weight-bearing exercise<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Yoga develops proprioception<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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