Why Choose Yoga Over Other Forms of Exercise

Although yoga is not just another form of exercise, there are many reasons why you should consider it as your main method of taking care of your body. In addition to keeping you in good physical health, it also allows you to maintain emotional and mental health. Other forms of exercise have great benefits, but they may often not be appropriate for your unique body.

Working with Your Body

Yoga teaches you to listen to and respect your body, unlike activities that require you to push yourself, often past your limits. It is one thing to push yourself to realize your potential; it is quite another to keep pushing with no regard to the possible health consequences.

Yoga teachers may encourage you to play with your “edge,” while being careful not to push past it. You do want to venture outside of your comfort zone, but you never want to feel pain. Pain is an immediate sign that your body is saying, “Stop!”

Your edge is a place where you’re feeling and exploring safely. Going beyond that edge, especially if moving quickly and aggressively, has the potential to cause pain and injury.

Approach & Attitude

Although yogis do experience injuries, this has much to do with an individual’s approach to his or her practice. If the approach is gentle and sensitive, the likelihood of harming yourself is substantially decreased. Conversely, if you work against ahimsa (the yogic precept of non-violence), the possibility of injury is heightened.

This does not mean runners can’t apply a yogic approach, yet runners and yoga practitioners engage in quite contrasting movements. In yoga, you soften and breathe into your body. Runners and participants in high-impact aerobics use repetitive movements that are stressful to joints, tendons, ligaments, and muscles. This can result in repetitive strain injuries.

If you are partaking in stressful activities, just make sure to balance these with nurturing activities such as yoga. Similarly, if you participate in more heat-inducing practices, such as Power Yoga, balance your routine with slower or cooling styles. Yin Yoga targets the deeper layers of the body, including connective tissues, ligaments, and bones.

The practice of asana is interrelated with body awareness, positively promoting a healthy attitude of self-acceptance. On the other hand, activities such as aerobics and running do not, necessarily, focus on anything other than using the body to achieve a goal, such as beating a time record.

Yoga’s purpose is mastery of the mind. It also teaches that changing your attitude can change your behaviour. If you honour your body and respect your limitations, you will progress naturally without having to be hard yourself.

The Verdict?

It’s not actually that you should choose yoga over other forms of exercise, but you should be informed and intelligent about your choices. In our goal-oriented culture, you may have the tendency to push full-force ahead in order to stay in the race. Instead, consider pulling back a little and nurture yourself so that you develop the stamina and true health to maintain a steady pace appropriate for you.