There are many benefits of yoga, including physical, mental and spiritual. However, certain benefits can be applied specifically to the female of the species. Benefits of yoga for women include helping with fertility, easing menstrual tensions, assisting during pregnancy and preventing osteoporosis.
Also, help with losing weight, toning muscles, balancing emotions and maintaining glowing skin – all things that most women aim to do!
7 benefits of yoga for women
Here are 7 benefits of yoga that apply to women. There are of course many more yoga benefits that can be experienced by both men and women through regular practice.
Yoga eases menstrual issues
It is not uncommon for women to experience pain or emotional issues before, during and after their period. Hormonal changes in the body can cause discomfort, insomnia, irritability, anxiety and feelings of depression. These conditions can be alleviated through regular yoga practice, which can also help you to maintain a positive attitude throughout the month.
Specific yoga poses are known to be helpful to ease period pains and also to promote good sleep.
Making sure you eat a healthy diet and don’t succumb to monthly cravings can also be easier with yoga. Keeping your mind focused ensures you will give your body the nourishment it really needs.
Yoga provides inner peace and emotional stability
Women are known to be the more emotional of the species and the stresses and strains of life can sometimes be hard to handle. Do you find yourself emotional at certain times of the month? Yoga can help to balance emotional fluctuations, including stress and anxiety.
It can become a friend in times of need, teaching ways to love yourself and listen to your inner voice.
Regular yoga practice also helps women connect with other similar-minded people and often lasting friendships can be made simply from attending a weekly class. This in turn helps many women with creating emotional stability in their lives.
Yoga reduces the risk of osteoporosis
Women are prone to brittle-bone disease and regular exercise, particularly load-bearing exercise such as yoga, can help strengthen the skeleton and reduce the risk of osteoporosis.
You can also achieve a better posture through yoga practice. This in turn helps to prevent bone related diseases.
As it is low-impact, women of all ages can take part and reap the rewards.
Yoga can help throughout pregnancy
If you are pregnant, you will know first hand the huge changes that are taking place in your body right now. Yoga can help with all stages of pregnancy. Back pain is typically eased with pregnancy yoga and, in general, yoga promotes better sleep and reduces stress. Yoga is also great with preparing your body for the birthing process by learning yoga breathing techniques.
Postnatal yoga helps to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles and return your body to it’s pre-pregnancy shape faster. Yoga classes can also be a great way to meet other mums who are going through the same process that you are.
Yoga can help with fertility
Are you trying for a baby? Or planning to soon? If you are trying to get pregnant, yoga is also known to be helpful.
Reducing stress, hormonal balancing and focusing positive energy on being pregnant are reported to be direct benefits from regularly practicing yoga.
Some studies show that women who practice yoga could have up to double the chance of conceiving than those who don’t.
This is mainly due to reduced stress and increased blood flow to the reproductive organs. Yoga also helps with increasing sexual stamina and building intimacy.
Some studios and teachers offer specific fertility yoga classes.
Yoga helps with losing weight and toning your booty
Whilst yoga can sometimes be a slow form of physical exercise, regular practice combined with a healthy diet, can help keep off the pounds and tone your wobbly bits.
For women having a toned bum and legs is usually of higher priority than having big arm muscles, unlike men. Yoga is low impact and whilst you can certainly gain muscle definition, on the whole, the benefits of yoga for women are more linked to toning.
Being happy with your body, whatever shape and size you are, is important for confidence too.
Yoga promotes glowing skin
Stress is often a key culprit for poor skin, along with an unhealthy diet.
Yoga directly helps battle stress by it’s calming effects, which can result in clearer, brighter skin as a consequence.
Practicing yoga as part of a daily routine, enables a focus on your own wellbeing and often eating habits mirror this approach.
Drinking plenty of water is also great for good skin and sweating will also help with getting rid of toxins, which will also promote a healthier complexion.
Experience the benefits of yoga for women for yourself
It can really help to understand the benefits of yoga for women. You can then use it as a tool to better navigate the hormonal roller coaster that as women we face.
