02 Oct How Yoga Could Benefit You (and Your Physical Therapy)

There is a reason that everyone from your grandmother’s fitness class to the NFL Monday night line up can (and frequently does) benefit from regular yoga sessions. Yoga offers numerous health benefits and can even complement your physical therapy (as long as your provider gives you the green light). We provide a short description of yoga and a brief list below of why you might want to invest in some time on the yoga mat!

A Bit About Yoga

Yoga is: a practice of breathing, mindfulness, and specific poses that originated in ancient India. There are various types of yoga, although the one most people are familiar with is Hatha yoga. Hatha yoga is a bit of an umbrella term, but this traditional, standard form focuses on breathing and poses and is great for anyone beginning a yoga practice. There are more athletic forms of yoga, and yoga designed to work up a real sweat – like Bikram yoga which is performed in a studio cranked up to steamy conditions (over 100 degrees and humid)!

What Yoga Can Do for You

• Improve flexibility. Hey, no one stays 18 forever! As we age, we lose flexibility and elasticity; the only way to fight the ravages of time is to be deliberate with our fitness. Yoga can improve flexibility.
• Improve balance. As we age, it may also become harder to keep our balance. A solid yoga practice can improve balance as many different poses address balance.
• Reduce tension. Yoga can be a great way to deal with stress and discomfort.
• Improve fitness. A good yoga practice can complement the rest of your fitness plan and can help improve overall fitness.
• Your other sports may improve! Some studies have shown improvement for those athletes who added yoga as a cross-training day.
• Reduce blood-pressure. According to a piece on Harvard.edu, yoga may offer cardiac benefits, including lowering blood pressure.
• Assist in weight loss. The same Harvard piece noted that yoga may pay off for those trying to lose weight.
• Boost endurance. This can help whether you’re an athlete or just trying to keep going through your busy day!

With so many potential benefits, it’s easy to see why yoga has remained an important health practice for centuries. Yoga can also complement your physical therapy work. As long as your physical therapist gives you the go-ahead, you might find this gentle practice is just what you need to relax and refresh your body. The more loose, fit, balanced, and strong you become, the more your physical therapy will benefit you and likely the more progress you’ll see. Your physical therapy may also help you make progress in your yoga practice, since physical therapy addresses many of the same issues: strength, balance, form, and the musculoskeletal system.

Recently, Body One Physical Therapy partnered with Zatki Yoga to offer yoga classes suitable for everyone at various Body One locations. Call us to start your yoga practice today! If you’re suffering with pain, old injuries, movement problems, and more, we can help. Body One is a locally-owned practice with four locations serving all of Central Indiana: North Indianapolis, South Indianapolis, Fishers, and Zionsville. Our caring, compassionate physical therapists treat clients of all ages and activity levels and would love to help you live your best life. Call us today and find out how Body One can help you!