Practising yoga for fitness is a very effective way of improving your physical and spiritual health. This article provides an effective overview of this ancient art, allowing you to discover what yoga is and the benefits of yoga for you. So keep reading.

What is yoga and why is it so popular?

Yoga is an holistic, or complete system of fitness.

Holistic health is a concept that says all aspects of your needs — psychological, physical and social — should be seen as a whole.

Yoga brings together all these elements that make up life, so that without pushing hard, you can get body, breath, brain and mind working as one.

At a practical level a big attraction of yoga is that it can be tailored to suit anyone’s requirements… from the elderly to the professional sports person. In fact, part of the rise in popularity of yoga has been helped by the fact that many professional sportsmen and sportswomen use yoga as part of their fitness training.

Stretching the muscles in controlled poses creates a flexibility that reduces the chances of torn or strained muscles on the playing field.

In other words, yoga for the sportsman and sportswoman assists with flexibility and helps reduce injuries. As such yoga can be used, with guidance, even by people who are injured and it will help recovery.

What are the benefits of yoga for you?

Yoga is in fact a low impact exercise which will increase your flexibility, reduce stress, improve mobility and increase strength.

This Yoga exercise combines deep breathing, stretching, strength & balance, and cardiovascular exercise

Yoga benefits include:

• Better overall health, energy and vitality
• Increased body awareness
• A stronger and leaner body
• Much more flexibility
• Improved posture and muscle tone
• Natural weight loss
• Reduction of stress and tension and enhances the powers of relaxation
• Improved focus, concentration and self control
• Bestows peace of mind and a more positive outlook to life

Best of all, Yoga is highly therapeutic. Many ailments have proven to be relieved, reversed and even healed through the practice of yoga.

It doesn’t matter who or what you are, where you come from, what you believe in, whether you are in perfect health or not, rich or poor — yoga can be done by all and will only be of great benefit to you.

Yoga is, in fact, one of the best all-round body and mind workouts that you could possibly do.

In summary the question is why should the practice of yoga attract so many people. There is only one answer: because yoga works for fitness and it will work for you… by stimulating both your mind and your body.

As the old saying goes: “A healthy body in a healthy mind”.