If you are still not doing Yoga as a woman, you are missing out on some important health benefits. A woman goes through many biological phases in her life. This makes it crucial to practice yoga to lead a healthy and happy life. Today, you will learn about the miraculous benefits of yoga for women and some easy yoga poses you can start with.
Yoga is a holistic practice that unites your mind, body, and spirit. This happens through a combination of physical postures, meditation, and breath control.
Adding yoga into your daily life is highly beneficial for your physical, mental, and emotional well-being. I can say this because it was the most sound decision I took for my health when I started practicing yoga last year.
The recommended duration of daily yoga practice can vary based on individual preferences, schedules, and fitness levels. As a beginner, you can start with 15 to 30 minutes a day, gradually increasing the duration as you become more comfortable.
Yoga for women is not just about physical postures but a journey towards inner transformation, strength, balance, and a connection with self. Yoga allows you to tailor your practices to your needs, preferences, and health conditions. This is the beauty of yoga.
In today’s blog, I am giving you 9 reasons that will push you to pursue yoga for yourself. So, let’s learn about the benefits of yoga for women and how can you add it to your daily routine in the best way possible.
Yoga for Women: 9 Wellbeing Benefits + 7 Poses to Begin Your Journey
For women, the right yoga poses hold additional importance in relation to their menstrual health, fertility, hormonal balance, and reproductive health. Yoga for women is even beneficial during pregnancy and also for older women during menopause.
Now, let’s see the 9 amazing benefits of Yoga for women in-depth:
1. Yoga for Women helps with Stress Management
Yoga for women is like an antidote to their everyday stress. The mindful breathing and meditation components of yoga make it a powerful tool for stress management. It gives you the strength to handle the life’s challenges.
Regular yoga practice helps you remain calm, composed, and centered in tough and stressful situations. Whenever I feel too overwhelmed with everything happening around me and within myself, I turn to yoga to get my mind relaxed.
2. Yoga Improves Your Body Posture and Flexibility
Yoga for women helps to improve their body posture and makes them aware of their body’s alignment. With regular practice, you slowly get an upright posture naturally which not only adds to your health & wellbeing but also boosts your confidence.
Yoga postures also promote flexibility by improving the range of motion in your joints and muscles. This strengthens your body physically and makes you more resistant to pain. A year ago when I started my practice, some poses were so intense and difficult to get in and hold, but with time and consistent practice, I have not just gotten better at my existing practice but I am also open to trying new poses and expanding my flexibility too.
3. Yoga Builds a Strong Mind-Body Connection
The integration of movement, breath, and mindfulness in yoga helps you develop a connection between the mind and body.
Yoga, with its breathing techniques, gives you a deeper understanding of the relationship between your physical body and your mind. It creates a harmonious connection between the two. This helps you to lead a more conscious and intentional way of living.
Yoga is not just about incorporating movement into your lifestyle, it’s a way of life. I turned to yoga because I am not a gym girl, I tried those high-intensity workouts and they only made me feel physically incapable Yoga, on the other hand, makes me feel that with hard work and dedication, I can achieve anything and everything I want. All it takes is to find that point on the ground to stay focused and lean into the work, just as I do with my yoga asanas.
4. Yoga for Women Promotes Healthy Aging and Longevity
Yoga promotes healthy aging as it contributes to your overall well-being. If you practice yoga, you may experience increased mobility, joint health, and an overall positive outlook towards life. Yoga will help you approach each life stage with more grace and increased awareness.
A study shows the significant difference it makes in the health parameters for women who practice yoga and those who don’t. The results showed that older women who have been practicing yoga enjoyed better hamstring flexibility, better grip strength, and many more health benefits among others.
I feel it physically in my bones that adding yoga to my life has only been a positive decision.
5. Yoga Makes You Emotionally Resilient
Yoga is the most appropriate practice to promote your emotional well-being. The mindful nature of yoga encourages your emotional awareness and helps you to face life’s challenges with ease making you more resilient.
Regular yoga practice helps you to deal with your trauma, anxiety, and other stresses in life. As you practice yoga, you can connect better with your body and release all the tension from your body, both physically and mentally.
Stress is not just what you feel in your mind, it is also what you experience with your body. Thus, practicing yoga helps you to deal with the adversities in life and approach them with a sense of balance.
6. Yoga for Women Promotes Menstrual Health
Certain poses of yoga for women help to promote your menstrual well-being tremendously.
You might be wondering if it is okay to practice it during your periods. The answer is Yes.
It is completely okay to practice yoga during your period. It helps to loosen up your body from feeling period cramps and it relaxes your mind and body. It can even reduce the anxiety and irritability that you may be feeling during your period.
Some yoga poses and breathwork can help you relieve your menstrual discomfort and promote your overall menstrual health. I have continued my yoga practice during that time of the month and it has been a great help. Especially the second day of my period sometimes becomes unbearable and yoga has been a great catalyst in relieving my body’s cramps, bloating, and mood swings.
If you practice regular yoga, you will experience a positive change and a sense of harmony during different phases of your cycle. I have been doing it for a year now and I can feel the difference it makes during menstruation.
7. Yoga Restores Your Hormonal Balance
A woman’s body goes through a lot of hormonal fluctuations throughout her lifespan. Regular yoga practice improves your hormonal balance.
Specific poses and sequences that target hormonal glands help you to positively impact the endocrine system. This helps in maintaining your hormonal equilibrium.
For PMS ( premenstrual syndrome), yoga offers relief through specific poses like the child pose or the bridge pose. They target your abdominal discomfort and emotional tension. It also helps to regulate your hormonal imbalances which usually leads to mood swings.
Deep breathing and meditation exercises help in circulating oxygen around your body. This will ease many period symptoms like cramps, nausea, and fatigue.
For women with PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome), yoga can help by supporting your hormonal balance, improving your insulin sensitivity, and promoting your overall well-being.
As you become older, hormonal fluctuations during menopause can lead to mood swings and emotional distress. The mindful breathing and relaxation techniques can help you alleviate menopause symptoms such as hot flashes and sleep disturbances.
Older women can consult with experienced and professional yoga instructors to help them personalize their practice according to their specific needs and health conditions.
8. Yoga for Women Supports Postnatal Recovery for Gentle Restoration After Childbirth
Yoga for women has proven to be beneficial for postnatal healing. After childbirth, a woman goes through a lot of processes and hormonal fluctuations. Tailored yoga poses help you to provide relief for postpartum recovery.
These will help you to strengthen the core, relieve tension, and support you in reconnecting with your body. It will allow you to honor your body’s needs and navigate the transformative phase of early motherhood with grace.
9. Yoga Improves Your Digestive Health and Blood Circulation
Yoga promotes a healthy gut as certain yoga poses stimulate digestion. With regular yoga practice, you may find relief from digestive issues such as bloating and constipation.
I used to suffer from bloating and episodes of indigestion for a long time. Practicing yoga not only fixed these problems but also helped me feel more aligned and connected with my body.
Poses that focus on twists and gentle compressions help to provide a reset to your digestive system, maintaining your internal balance.
The combination of movement and breathwork in yoga enhances your blood circulation. This improved circulation is beneficial for women’s health as it promotes heart health, reduces inflammation, and nourishes your body at a cellular level.
The conscious breathing exercises in yoga also enhance your respiratory function. It provides you with better oxygenation and improved lung capacity.
7 Easy Poses of Yoga for Women to Start Practicing It
Before you begin your yoga practice, it’s advisable to consult with a qualified yoga instructor, especially if you have any existing health concerns or conditions.
Now, here are the 7 easy poses of yoga for women you can start with that will be beneficial for your health.
You can alter these yoga poses based on your fitness levels. Remember the key is to focus on your breathing patterns as you practice them.
1. Bridge Pose (Setu Bandhasana)
This is the one that took me the most time to achieve. It takes a lot of your shoulder strength to practice it. The bridge post strengthens your legs, buttocks, and lower back. It also helps to stretch your chest and spine. This will help you in reducing stress and anxiety.
2. Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana)
Probably, the easiest of them all. The Cobra post helps to strengthen your spine and buttocks and opens your chest and lungs. It helps to improve the flexibility of your back.
3. Child’s Pose (Balasana)
As the name suggests, it is a great posture to pause and catch your breath during the asanas. The child pose helps you to release tension in your back, neck, and shoulders. It also helps to calm your mind and aids in relaxation, making it beneficial for stress relief.
4. Butterfly Pose (Baddha Konasana)
This pose helps to stretch your inner thighs and groin area. It stimulates your abdominal organs and helps in digestion. I practice this pose, especially during periods as it helps me with menstrual discomfort.
5. Seated Lotus Pose (Padmasana)
This pose increases flexibility in your hips and knees and promotes good posture and spine alignment. It also promotes a sense of calm and focus.
6. Goddess Pose (Utkata Konasana)
This pose helps you to strengthen your legs, core, and arms. It also opens your hips and chest. This pose encourages a sense of empowerment and control in you.
7. Corpse Pose (Savasana)
I usually practice this at the end of my yoga practice to rest my fast breathing from continuous practice. I combine it with body scanning which helps me to stay connected with my senses from each part of the body. The corpse pose is not just about lying down but it’s essential as it promotes deep relaxation and stress reduction.
Conclusion
Yoga is not only about physical postures but a journey about nurturing your mind, body, and spirits. It is a practice that evolves with each breath, each pose, and each woman’s unique journey.
Now that you are aware of the amazing benefits of yoga for women for holistic well-being, start practicing yoga in your life and make it a daily habit.
Yoga is a versatile practice that addresses the unique needs of women throughout various stages of life. With this practice, you will see improvement in your physical health, mental clarity, emotional balance and well-being, and a sense of self-awareness.
So, what are you waiting for? Get your yoga mat ready and go on a journey of self-discovery, empowerment, and well-being.
