People take up yoga for a variety of reasons. Some people are just plain intrigued. They want to see what all the buzz and bother is about. Others desire to become more balanced physically and mentally. Fitness enthusiasts will join a yoga class to add another dimension of strength and flexibility to their training program, while some people just want to enjoy the social aspect. Whatever your reason for practicing yoga, the one common denominator for everyone is the benefits that are gained. How to tell the benefits of yoga requires awareness.
How to Tell the Physical Benefits of Yoga
Step 1
Make a mental checklist of what you felt like before you started taking yoga. Did you have little twinges in your joints, a weak lower back or more serious, medically supervised conditions? How was your sense of balance or the strength in your arms and legs? Take stock of what changes have occurred since you began your practice.
Step 2
Bend forward from your waist and reach toward the floor. If you were completely unable to touch your toes before you started doing yoga and can now, with straight legs, bend over and place both hands fully on the floor beside your feet, then you can tell that you have increased your flexibility.
Step 3
Take your pulse before and after your yoga class. Place the middle and index fingers of your right hand on your left wrist. Your pulse should feel the strongest between the bone and tendon of your wrist. Count the pulses for one minute. If your standing heart rate has decreased after class, you have benefited from the practice of measured breathing.
Step 4
Check your strength. Monitor how far you can walk or how fast you can clean the house before tiring. You will find that little tasks that seemed to sap your strength even in the contemplative stage are now attacked and dispatched with ease. The health benefits of yoga poses, which are designed to build strength, are now manifesting in you as increased vigor.
How to Tell the Emotional and Mental Benefits of Yoga
Step 1
Sit on your yoga mat in a cross-legged pose and reflect on how yoga has affected your emotional and mental well-being. If you had previously been consumed with excessive worry and have noticed an easing of inner tension, it's because the regular practice of yoga inhibits the release of adrenaline and cortisol, both of which are activated when your mind perceives danger.
Step 2
Strike a difficult standing pose like the tree pose. Stand on one leg and bring the foot of the other leg to rest on your upper thigh. Raise your hands into the air and concentrate on not falling over. The benefits of balancing poses in yoga are focus and determination. There is no room for what yogis call the monkey mind--one that jumps from thought to distracting thought--when you're fixated on present moment awareness.
Step 3
Write your experiences in a journal. Keeping an account of your journey is the surest way to tell the benefits of yoga. By noting your progress, you'll be more aware of how you've changed both physically and mentally. Your self-esteem and confidence will surge as a result of this written account of your commitment to the discipline of yoga.
Tips and Warnings
- Make an appointment with your doctor before beginning a yoga practice. Have a physical to determine if you have any underlying conditions that may benefit from a regular yoga practice. Establishing your physical condition before starting yoga will help you track the improvements to your health.
Things You'll Need
- Journal
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