Who doesn’t want to be more flexible? Yoga is an excellent way to improve flexibility. Most classes cycle through enough poses that you end up hitting all the major muscle groups. And when holding poses, you’re gently stretching out those muscles a little more each time. With regular yoga practices, you’ll be a human pretzel in no time (Okay, okay, probably not flexible to that extent, but you’ll definitely feel a huge difference!).
Why be flexible?
If the idea of being flexible isn’t super appealing in itself, allow us to convince you! Being flexible is all about having greater range of motion, more nimble joints and muscles, and better blood circulation (may we add that all these contribute to better sex too?!).
Extra flexibility can also mean less pain. And being flexible helps you appear poised since it helps you move with ease and can help to improve your posture… which can further lead to feelings of confidence. It can even help lower stress levels! Mind… blown!
How does yoga improve flexibility?
When you first get started, you’re probably gonna feel a bit stiff. Totally normal. Don’t feel bad if everyone around you can stretch their bodies in ways you can’t just yet. Remember: They ALL had to start somewhere. Yoga is all about stretching out your body in ways you may not have done before, so give it some time and your muscles and tendons and joints, which are highly adaptable, will stretch out with practice!
As we said above, most yoga classes should get you stretching all the major muscle groups. As you perform each pose, it’s important to ease into it. Don’t overtax your body. If you can only reach your knees with your hands during sun salutation, well then go, you! You’re already halfway to your toes! With each class, you’ll be able to go lower and lower. And trust us — that day you reach your toes or intertwine your legs in lotus pose or lean your whole upper body comfortably forward in child pose — dude, you are going to feel AWESOME about yourself.
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