Yoga is a hobby that many women of all ages enjoy to do. They are able to get a good exercise in their body and are able to relax in the moment. Many women, especially those who are twenty to thirty year old, do yoga twice to three times a week. Yoga can benefit twenty to thirty year old women physically, mentally, emotionally, and holistically who practice at least three times a week.
Yoga has physical benefits for twenty to thirty year old women. It can stretch and relax your back, which has proven to reduces tension in many stress carrying muscles. When you do yoga, it helps put your body through a wide range of motions that exercise your muscles and joints, which helps your strength and flexibility. Rachael Link, a registered dietitian, once stated that “A 2015 study had similar findings, showing that 12 weeks of practice led to improvements in endurance, strength and flexibility in 173 participants” (“13 Benefits of Yoga That Are Supported by Science”).
However, it can irritate vulnerable disks in your back, especially those in your lumbar spine. You can do simple yoga, such as the bridge pose or the cobra pose, and be extra careful with the back. Practicing yoga can help improve your balance and increase flexibility. There are specific poses in yoga that are designed to build your muscles, such as the boat pose known as paripurna navasana and the chair pose known as utkatansana. Rachael Link also said that “In one study, 79 adults performed 24 cycles of sun salutations — a series of foundational poses often used as a warm-up — six days a week for 24 weeks. They experienced a significant increase in upper body strength, endurance and weight loss. Women had a decrease in body fat percentage, as well” (Link,“13 Benefits of Yoga That Are Supported by Science).
Practicing yoga on a normal base can help improve your body’s strength. However, you can easily strain a muscle or overstretch something when you try to extend beyond your known limitations. You can have your trainer help you out and do not do anything too dangerous. Yoga can also increase your strength. It can optimize performance through the use of specific poses that target flexibility and balance. “After one year, total flexibility of the yoga group increased by nearly four times that of the calisthenics group” (Link,“13 Benefits of Yoga That Are Supported by Science”). However, working out can give you strength, not yoga. It is a routine for its strength-building benefits. There are specific poses in yoga designed to increase strength and build muscle.
Yoga has many mental benefits. It can ease stress and promote relaxation. It decrease the secretion of cortisol, the primary stress hormone. One study from Rachael Link’s research showed that after 10 weeks, “the women who practice yoga once weekly had fewer symptoms of PTSD. In fact, 52% of participants no longer met the criteria for PTSD at all” (Link, “13 Benefits of Yoga That Are Supported by Science). Some may say that people can get increased anxiety or panic attacks when doing it incorrectly or too much. However, people should only do yoga a certain amount of times during a week and shouldn’t overdo it.
Yoga may decrease symptoms of depression by influencing the production of stress hormones in the body. It can decrease levels of cortisol, a stress hormone that influences levels of serotonin in, the neurotransmitter usually associated with depression. “After two weeks, participants had fewer symptoms of depression and lower levels of cortisol. They also had lower levels of ACTH, a hormone responsible for stimulating the release of cortisol” (Link, “13 Benefits of Yoga That Are Supported by Science”). Some may say that forceful breathing and inversion poses can increase your blood pressure. However, you can take breaks and make sure to breath calmly.
Yoga has emotional benefits to twenty to thirty year old women. According to the Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, “yoga hold with Samkyha that the achievement of spiritual liberation occurs when the spirit is freed from the bondage of matter that has resulted from ignorance and illusion” (2). Yoga can improve quality of life and may be used as an adjunct therapy for some conditions. It can help change your mood on life and decrease symptoms such as nausea or vomiting. “In one study, 135 seniors were assigned to either six months of yoga, walking or a control group.
Practicing yoga significantly improved quality of life, as well as mood and fatigue, compared to the other groups” (Link, “13 Benefits of Yoga a That Are Supported by Science”). Some may say that you can take medicine instead of risking damaging your body. However, doing yoga can help you in a spiritual way that you don’t need medicine for. Yoga also increases mindfulness, which may be used to help promote mindful eating and healthy eating habits. It promotes healthy eating habits that help control blood sugar, increase weight loss and treat disordered eating behaviors. “One study incorporated yoga into an outpatient eating disorder treatment program with 54 patients, finding that yoga helped reduce both eating disorder symptoms and preoccupation with food” (Link, “13 Benefits of Yoga That Are Supported by Science”).
Some may say working out too much can make you more hungry after and you might eat over your limit. However, you can try to balance the amount you eat. Yoga helps give you positive energy. You will feel stronger, more confident, and more secure. Peace and tranquility are achieved when focusing on your mind. “A review of research published in the International Journal of Yoga in 2011 reported that the practice helps with addiction, anxiety reduction and depression” (Cespedes, “Side Effects of Yoga”). Some may say that it can also give you bad energy if not practiced the right way or in pain. However, you can talk to your instructor on helping you out.
Yoga has many holistically benefits to twenty to thirty year old women. Deep breathing yoga techniques improve control on breathing and long functions, which increase oxygen flow to the brain. Yoga helps achieve vital capacity which is the measure of the maximum amount of air that can b expelled from the lungs. “Another study in 2009 found that practicing yoga breathing improved symptoms and lung function in patients with mid-to-moderate asthma” (Link, “13 Benefits of Yoga That Are Supported by Science”). Some may say that it can rupture tiny and weak blood capillaries on the retina resulting in hemorrhage and visual loss. You can also get glaucoma which is when extra pressure is behind the eyeball leading to loss of eyesight.
However, you can do mild and not extreme breathing exercises. Yoga could improve heart health and decrease risk factors for heart diseases. Studies show that practice yoga into a healthy lifestyle could help slow the progression of heart diseases. “Participants saw a 23% decrease in total cholesterol and a 26% reduction in “bad” LDL cholesterol. Additionally, the progression of heart disease stopped in 47% of patients” (Link, “13 Benefits of Yoga That Are Supported by Science”). Some may say that doing extreme poses upside down can damage your heart. However, you can learn to find your limits and not to overdo it. It can also promote healthy eating habits.
Since yoga has a emphasis on mindfulness, it could be used to encourage healthy eating behaviors and less of binge eating. It can help control your blood sugar, increase eight loss and treat eating disorders. “One study incorporated yoga into an outpatient eating disorder treatment program with 54 patients, finding that yoga helped reduce both eating disorder symptoms and preoccupation with food” (Link, “13 Benefits of Yoga That Are Supported by Science”). Some may say that yoga doesn’t really control what you eat. However, since yoga based on mindfulness, it encourages the brain to think on what you’re eating.
References
- Harvard Health Publishing – Yoga benefits beyond the mat
- National Center for Biotechnology Information – The psychological effects of yoga among adults
- Yoga Journal – Yoga for Women: Essential Poses for Health and Wellness
- Health24 – The benefits of yoga for kids and teens
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health – Yoga: What You Need to Know