5 Reasons Beginner Yoga Classes Help You Live Longer

Yoga makes you strong and flexible. But did you know that practicing beginner yoga classes regularly can potentially add years to your life? This boost to your longevity will also be enjoyable since you’ll be in such great shape on the inside and the outside. Throw in a calm and relaxed nervous system and you’ll be quite the fit and fabulous 100 year old.

Beginner Yoga Classes Are a Stress Buster

Yoga is a proven way to reduce stress. The combination of deep, controlled breathing and gentle movement induces the relaxation response from the autonomic nervous system (ANS). The ANS is made up of the sympathetic (SNS) and parasympathetic (PNS) nervous systems.

The SNS controls our fight or flight response when we are in immediate danger and need to move quickly to avoid trouble. A series of physiological events occur during this response, including the release of cortisol into the bloodstream. While this is necessary during a life threatening event, most of the stress we feel in our lives is unnecessary. We are operating from our SNS way more than we need to be.

Practicing yoga induces the relaxation response. This is when our PNS is activated and we feel calm and relaxed. Not only is the production and release of cortisol minimized, our internal organs function in a more optimal way. We are less reactive and more at peace. The more yoga you practice, the more often your PNS will flip that relax switch. Yoga trains us to be relaxed not just during class but during the events in our daily life that cause us needless stress. As we all know, stress leads to a variety of diseases that we want to avoid.

The Heart Loves Beginner Yoga Classes

When the relaxation response happens, we don’t just benefit from turning off cortisol release. There are quite a few other things that happen as well. Our heart rate slows down and we enjoy lower blood pressure.

Yoga has also show to reduce blood glucose levels and lower cholesterol. According to an article from Johns Hopkins Medicine, “slow-paced yoga classes twice a week reduced the frequency of atrial fibrillation episodes in patients with that condition. In another report, patients with heart failure who went through an eight-week yoga program showed improvement in exercise capacity and quality of life. They also had lower blood levels of markers for inflammation, which contributes to heart disease.”

If you have cardiovascular issues and are under the care of a cardiologist, talk to your doctor about adding yoga to your exercise regimen. The slow flow classes on our site are suitable for beginners and have the potential to help alleviate symptoms of heart disease.

Yoga Is Exercise

If a pharmaceutical company could put exercise in a bottle, they would have the most powerful drug known to man. Exercise is one of the main keys to living a long and healthy life. It controls our weight, boosts energy, improves mood, the list goes on and on…

Yoga classes on yourBuddhi are all levels. If you are a beginner, we suggest beginner flow and slow flow. There is plenty of movement in these videos. You will get many of the same benefits of other forms of exercise along with the added benefit of breathwork.

If you are looking for more of an intense workout, try our Buddhi Flow and vinyasa classes. These classes are physically challenging and build balanced strength and flexibility. The beauty of yoga as a form of exercise is that it works both sides equally, includes the huge benefit of breath awareness, increases joint range of motion and improves spine health. Not many other forms of exercise have bragging rights like that!

Reduce Chronic Pain

There are a couple different ways yoga can potentially reduce chronic pain. Many people experience chronic pain in the form of lower back or neck pain. This is usually caused by musculoskeletal issues due to an accident or repetitive stress.

Yoga can help reduce chronic pain in the spine by creating length, or axial extension. Axial extension is just a fancy way of saying that the spine is lengthening. The space between the vertebrae and discs becomes more spacious. Most pain in the spine arises from a lack of length and space. With permission from your physician, gentle yoga can mitigate some the reasons people experience back pain.

Another even more interesting way that yoga can reduce chronic pain is neurological. According to a fascinating article in Psychology Today, “chronic pain triggers changes in brain structure that are linked to depression, anxiety and impaired cognitive function. New research shows that practicing yoga has the opposite effect on the brain and can relieve chronic pain.”

Bring On The Zzzzz’s

70% of American adults report that they have at least one night a month where they find difficulty sleeping. About 11% report difficulty sleeping every single night. Unfortuanately, sleep-related problems affect 50 to 70 million Americans of all ages and socioeconomic classes.

Practicing yoga regularly can help you to manage symptoms of insomnia. You may be able to fall asleep quicker, sleep for longer, and go back to sleep after waking up at night. Research from 2019 points to the effectiveness of yoga and other mind-body therapies in treating insomnia and promoting better sleep.

What Are You Waiting For?

Your Buddhi makes it so easy to try yoga. We always suggest starting with our beginner flow and slow flow classes. If you have questions about which classes to start with, please don’t hesitate to email us! We will get back to you right away with some customized suggestions.