Performing Yoga Daily Can Enhance Your Flexibility At Any Age
Yoga is a very ancient ritual that focuses on building strength and flexibility when we talk about external benefits. It is very essential to mention here, that yoga also has other benefits related to mental, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing. Some of the activities that are covered within this huge ancient storehouse of knowledge and divinity are asanas, Pranayama, meditation, bandhas, mudras, Satkarma kriyas, and mantra chanting. If you happen to visit a yoga school in India, you will come across these.
Now, coming back to the physical well-being part, yoga can be done by almost any age. Moreover, you can start doing yoga when you have crossed sixty years, as well. Patients who have undergone some kind of trauma, surgery, or are suffering from chronic pain, can also practice yoga. It acts as an effective pain reliever for the back, neck, hips, shoulders, and joints. Yoga can help you to manage your ailments and live a normal life like all others.
Yoga For Flexibility – The Way It Is Done In India
If you practice yogic exercises on a regular basis, you will experience increased flexibility and range of motion. Furthermore, your vitality will increase and so will your metabolism rate. You may also lose weight in the process. There are various poses that you can perform in the realm of yoga. Yoga also helps in removing soreness and tightness in the joints. When you are more flexible the body will not face injuries often. Additionally, you will recover faster from any injury.
Some of the best yoga styles which can lead to increased flexibility are Yin yoga, Ashtanga Yoga and Vinyasa Yoga. All these come under Hatha Yoga. Hatha Yoga mainly makes the body stable and strong. Let us find out more about Yin Yoga.
Yin Yoga – This is one of the yoga forms, in which you need to hold each pose for more than 5 minutes. Some seasoned yoga practitioners can also hold the poses for more than that. The body relaxes a lot and tends to become more flexible, when you hold the poses for a long time. It also improves the strength of the connective tissues.
Ashtanga Yoga – It is a dynamic form of yoga, where you perform a series of poses one by one. The teacher will instruct you on the sequence, according to the limits of your body. Similarly, Vinyasa is another style that you can do today. It increases flexibility and also the range of motion. You flow from one pose to another in the Vinyasa style.
Let us delve into a few yoga poses, which you can do regularly to increase flexibility. You can learn the poses and their benefits in a yoga teacher training, as well.
Yoga Poses For Flexibility
Adults who have never done yoga before can also practice the above yoga forms to increase their flexibility and range of motion. Here are the poses for you.
- Janu Sirsasana – It is one of the best poses for flexibility, which is suitable for all ages. You can also work on the range of motion in the hips, back, and thighs. The blood flow towards the abdomen also increases as a result of this pose. You can do it on an empty stomach. Extend the right leg in front of you, and press the left foot inside the thigh of the right leg. While inhaling, you must raise both your arms. Exhale and bend at the hips, and fold forward. You have to face towards the outstretched leg. You must hold the right foot, with both hands for maximum results. Hold the position for a few seconds and then repeat the same thing on the other side.
- Dhanurasana – This is another flexibility enhancing pose, which you can do, to increase the body’s range of motion. This is an intermediate level pose which can help in increasing the flexibility of the core muscles. Regularly practicing this pose, also affects the muscles in the back, chest, and legs. You get a full-body workout through this yogic asana. You can lie down on the floor on your belly. The arms will be placed by your side. Bend the knees, and try to hold the ankles, with both your hands. You have to create a pull to move the upper body from the floor. You have to keep looking forward while doing this pose. Take regular breaths for maximum comfort. Hold the pose for a few seconds. Release yourself from the pose and repeat again.
- Anjaneyasana – Also called the low lunge, this is an extremely important pose for hip flexibility. This is one of the poses, which can help in lengthening the spine. Your hips also open up, in the process. You can build muscle as well, through this asana. You can do this pose under the trained experts at the yoga school in India. The spine also gets a good stretch, when you bend the body backwards. Holding your balance is extremely crucial in this pose.
- Halasana – If you are aiming at shoulder and neck flexibility, then you should practice this asana. This is a great intermediate level pose in yoga that removes all the tension from your neck, shoulders, and spine. If you find it difficult to reach the floor on the other side of your head, with the feet, then you can also place them on a chair. It will help you ease of the tension a bit.
Final Words
When you are doing any yoga pose for flexibility, you must ensure to maintain a few precautions. Avoid forcing yourself into any pose. You should always do what you are comfortable with. You have to listen to your body, so that you do not get hurt. If the body shows signs of discomfort, like pain or stress, then you should stop right away.
Performing the above poses regularly under trained experts, can help you to increase your range of motion. Moreover, you will also be able to tone your muscles and make them more powerful. Join a yoga class in India today to get the most out of the yogic practice. Train under the best, for maximum efficacy.
