Ladies, there’s nothing more important than your self-care. Dynamic at work and in-demand at home, women are constantly stretched thin between roles and responsibilities. With the multiple roles you play - daughter, sister, wife, mother, friend, colleague - it’s not difficult to get wrapped up in the day-to-day and de-prioritise yourself. But, if you don't make yourself a priority, who will? Taking out an hour a day or a few hours a week to do something for you will do wonders to your health, well-being and overall quality of life. And, what better way to do this than with yoga?
Why should you practice yoga for women’s health?
Yoga helps you successfully balance every aspect of your life. Yoga helps you achieve a sense of calm while building patience and perseverance to endure everything thrown your way. Most of all, yoga benefits your physical and psychological mind and body, preventing and managing health concerns in a natural, holistic way.
Manage stress
Yoga helps you manage stress in a calm and relaxed way. If you’re a teenager dealing with exams and peer pressure, practices like Oceans Breathing and Alternate Nostril Breathing will melt away your stress and help you deal with fear, anxiety and worries. If you’re a working professional and a mom, yoga will help you maintain a balance in everyday life. With practices like meditation and Yoga Nidra, your stress will remain at bay, keeping you relaxed.
Hormonal balance
Yoga for PCOS, Yoga for hormonal balance, Yoga to strengthen the Pelvic Floor Muscles, Yoga for Thyroid, Yoga for Weight loss, among others are all effective practices to keep physical and physiological problems away. Hormones often play the role of devil, wreaking havoc in your system and causing problems that might reflect on your health at a later stage. The start of many problems, like PCOS or Thyroid, occur due to hormonal imbalances. Practicing yoga poses for women’s health has a wonderful effect on the body. The best way to do this is join a live online yoga class with a certified teacher who will always include yoga postures for women’s health in their sessions.
Pre and Post Natal yoga
Practicing yoga during your pregnancy and after giving birth is an effective way to deal with the transition, manage bodily changes as well as gain back strength and balance. Recommended yoga postures, breathing exercises, and meditation are very useful during this phase. Care must be taken to always practice in live yoga classes and only under the guidance of an experienced, certified yoga teacher.
Menstrual balance
Also a hormone related condition, yoga helps you manage period cramps, irregularities in your cycle, and many symptoms of premenstrual syndrome such as balancing emotions, keeping the mind peaceful, etc. Regular practice of yoga asanas for women’s health will help you manage period-related conditions effectively. Breathing exercises, meditation and Yoga Nidra are also useful.
Mental strength
Very often, given the numerous roles women play, building mental strength is important. This will keep fears, anxiety, depression, and stress at bay. It will also allow you to get the much-needed restful night’s sleep so your mind and body are refueled for the next day. Practicing meditation, deep breathing and Yoga Nidra as well as a few simple yoga poses before bedtime will help you relax and let go of the day’s events. When you meditate regularly, your mind becomes stronger over time. By joining a regular live yoga class you will also learn about yoga philosophy and knowledge which will help you handle situations in an effective manner.
A balanced lifestyle
The best part about yoga is that it is not just an exercise, but a whole lifestyle. Yoga will help you develop mindfulness, a better diet, a balanced daily routine and a healthier state of mind and body. This is all the self-care you will need to ensure you are prioritizing yourself. Your overall quality of life and relationships will improve. Focus and productivity will get better, giving you more time for yourself.
What are the best yoga practices for women’s health?
Taking a holistic approach by including all types of practices is most beneficial.
Yoga postures
Yoga asanas for women’s health, as stated above, have a profound impact on balancing hormones, weight loss, thyroid, etc. The most useful yoga poses for women’s health are Garland Pose, Cobbler’s Pose, Cobra Pose, Seated Wide-Legged Forward Bend and Goddess Pose, among others. The best live yoga classes will always incorporate yoga poses for women’s health benefits so you will learn many postures.
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Breathing exercises and cleansing practices
Very often stress can impact digestion, immunity and causes blockages in the body. Relaxing and soothing breathing practices like Alternate Nostril Breathing and Humming Bee Breath will help you release stress. Energizing practices like Bellows Breath will infuse the body with vitality, making you ready for the day ahead. Regular practices of the Shat Kriyas (cleansing practices) such as Frontal Lobe Cleansing and Agni Sar will release toxins, stimulate the digestive fire and keep your immunity up.
Meditation and Yoga Nidra
It might be hard initially, but taking out 20-minutes a day to sit in meditation or practice Yoga Nidra will do wonders for your mental health and well-being. You can follow a guided meditation or join a live meditation class to learn to meditate with a certified yoga teacher. This is the best form of self-care you can inculcate for yourself!
In Conclusion
You might think you don’t have time to do yoga 3-4 times a week with so many responsibilities. Join the best online yoga classes, try to start with a couple of hours and slowly you will begin to see the difference it makes in your well-being. You’ll automatically find that you have more time for yoga. Now, you can even do this from home. The best way to make this a habit is to join live online yoga classes, like Shvasa, as you will have experienced teachers guiding you and a supportive community cheering you on!
