Little Feminist MOVE-ment: The Physical Benefits of Yoga

Defining Physical Benefits

On this little yoga journey that we’re taking together, I thought we’d start by discussing the physical benefits of practicing yoga. Why? Because the physical benefits are usually what draw people to yoga in the first place (at least in Canada and the United States, anyway).

I was initially drawn to yoga because of the physical benefits, which I detail in my blog post titled “The Transformative Power of Yoga: Learning to Love My Body.” If you haven’t had the chance to check that out yet, I’d highly recommend it (mostly because it’s my own writing, but hey).

So, you might be wondering what I mean exactly by physical benefits. When I say physical benefits, I’m talking about the benefits we can see such as muscle growth in the biceps, triceps, quads; the benefits we can feel like increased flexibility in the body or improved posture; and the oftentimes invisible benefits to the internal organs and regulatory systems including increased blood flow, a healthier and happier heart, and recovering lost bone mass.

There are, of course, mental and emotional benefits that come along with practicing yoga, but those deserve a separate blog post.

For now, let’s stick with the physical.

The Benefits We Can See

If you’ve never practiced yoga before, you’re probably picturing a spaced-out individual wearing a tie-dye shirt sitting on a cork mat stretching out their back while some soothing music or nature sounds play in the background right about now.

And you’re not wrong.

Just kidding, but I do, in fact, own both a tie-dye shirt and a cork mat.

On the contrary, yoga is oftentimes an intense workout and can be used as a means of gaining physical strength just like any other form of exercise. It all depends upon the style of yoga you’re doing. For instance, if you’re doing a power vinyasa flow class—this consists of fast-paced and repetitive sequences of postures that build upon one another—you’re more than likely going to build noticeable strength overtime: strength you can actually see when you look in the mirror.

And I can attest to this: I’ve only been practicing yoga regularly for the past year-and-a-half and I can see the difference in my arms and legs. I no longer have—for lack of a better word—noodle arms thanks to all of the high planks, low planks, side planks, downward facing dogs, and arm balances that are frequently integrated into vinyasa flow classes.

Plus, there’s no equipment required for yoga other than a mat. Props like yoga blocks or bolsters are sometimes useful during a yoga practice, but they are not necessary for the practice. It’s kind of amazing to think that an individual can gain such strength simply by moving in a certain manner and lifting their own body weight as is the case in yoga.

The Benefits We Can Feel

The most noticeable physical benefits that I can feel in my body since starting my yoga practice are increased flexibility and improved posture.

Now, I’m still not the most flexible person in the world—my hamstrings are extremely tight and I have difficulty with postures that require deeply stretching or flexing my hamstrings—but there’s definite improvement from where I started. Additionally, flexibility and mobility become especially important as one ages, so getting a head-start at a younger age is always a good idea.

My posture, too, has greatly improved and I can literally feel—and correct myself—whenever I’m slumping or my body is out of alignment. Yoga has made me so aware of my terrible posture that I even notice it when I’m not practicing yoga: I’ll be sitting in the car, standing in front of the sink brushing my teeth, or hovering over my computer and randomly remember to lengthen my spine and correct my posture. It’s a tad bit annoying sometimes, but beneficial at the end of the day.

No more Quasimodo for me.

Some of the other benefits we also feel as a result of doing yoga include mental clarity, emotional stability, and a general burst of energy after practicing but—as I noted earlier—I’m going to leave these for another blog post. I just thought I’d briefly mention them here for any of those individuals looking for the more complex benefits of practicing yoga.

**The Oftentimes Invisible Benefits**

Save the best for last, am I right?

Yoga does not only improve our physical fitness but also our internal fitness, if you will. I’m talking about our organs, our regulatory systems, our blood flow, perhaps even our bones.

There are so many internal, or invisible, benefits of practicing yoga on a regular basis: the breathwork involved in yoga—known as pranayama—is said to improve cardiovascular health; yoga also reduces inflammation in the body if practiced frequently and ultimately helps prevent some chronic illnesses; and yoga can even boost your immunity to a certain extent, which is linked to the fact that it reduces bodily inflammation. Additionally—although the research is still ongoing—some yoga postures have even been associated with increasing bone density and lessening the effects of illnesses such as osteoporosis.

The benefits that I’ve discussed here are only the beginning when it comes to practicing yoga.

And if I haven’t convinced you that practicing yoga improves quality of life and personal physical health just quite yet, I’ve got lots more in my bag of yoga goodies to unload. Just you wait…

Little Feminist MOVE-ment: New Year, New Chapter

An Introduction to My New Series, Little Feminist MOVE-ment

I have exciting plans for the Little Feminist Movement blog this year, the most pivotal being the introduction of a new series: Little Feminist MOVE-ment (literal emphasis on the “move” part).

As some of you may already know, I’m currently in the process of completing my first 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training (200 HR YTT). I’ve learned so much already and I’m excited to share it with you (and maybe even get you excited about the practice of yoga, too, if it’s new to you).

In the Little Feminist MOVE-ment series, I’m going to be sharing some of the experiences I’ve had in training thus far and how it’s aided my personal development, self-acceptance and self-understanding, and desire to branch out into new spiritual spaces, as well as how it’s just improved my quality of life overall.

I’ll still be posting all of my regular content—this is the Little Feminist Movement blog, after all—but I’ll be integrating some yoga-related content into the blog here and there. This might mean—but don’t hold me to this—that I’ll be posting more than once a week this upcoming year (shock and awe!).

That’s right.

You might say that things between me and the Little Feminist Movement blog are getting serious this year. Maybe we’ll even move in together and mix our CD collections, who knows?

What to Expect with the Little Feminist MOVE-ment Series

Like I said, I’m going to be using the Little Feminist MOVE-ment series as a vessel to share my experiences from the 200 HR YTT I’m currently taking, as well as how the practice of yoga has changed my life for the better.

There’s a lot to unpack when it comes to yoga, and if you’ve read my blog post titled “The Transformative Power of Yoga: Learning to Love My Body,” then you probably already have a good idea of what I’m talking about.

On top of the obvious physical benefits that come with practicing yoga, there is also a mind-body connection that comes from the practice that is somewhat difficult to get with any other kind of exercise, in my experience anyway. The other form of exercise I primarily do is running, and I pretty much just think about making it up that damn hill the whole time I’m doing that.

The practice of yoga requires a lot more than physical dedication.

I’ll be writing some blog posts regarding the physical benefits of yoga—I’ve been doing some reading upon specific poses that are said to reduce menstrual cramps and improve digestion that I think a lot of us might benefit from—but I’m also going to be getting into the mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of yoga, meditation, the community and support, and the philosophy behind the practice of yoga. Yoga did not originate in the western world, so I want to ensure that I recognize its origins properly and in depth in future blog posts.

I’m also eager to write some pieces about the overlap between yoga and contemporary feminism since feminism is kind of what I do, you know?

Feminism and Yoga…Together?

Weirdly enough, I’ve found there is a close connection between yoga and feminism, at least in my experience.

For instance—although I believe yoga was traditionally a very male-oriented practice—the majority of yoga teachers I’ve encountered in my life have been women. I can count the number of male yoga teachers I personally know on one hand (on four fingers to be exact). So, for myself, yoga has been a very female-centered practice right from the beginning.

I’m sure this is not every yogi’s experience, and—of course—yoga should not be a gendered or sexed practice.

Additionally, just because most yoga practices I’ve attended have been led by women does not necessarily make it a feminist experience. I’ve just chosen to interpret it this way because of all the support I’ve seen within the yoga community here within Kelowna, particularly at the studio I frequent. If you’re a regular here on the Little Feminist Movement blog, then I’m sure you know by now that I consider both community and support to be huge parts of contemporary feminism. This is likely why I associate yoga with feminism: it is all about women supporting other women in my community.

Another reason that I associate yoga with feminism is because I was lucky enough to meet such an inspiring and empowering group of women during my 200 HR YTT. The group of students is comprised of all women. There’s just something extraordinary about a group of women coming together to help each other become stronger (both physically and mentally), who share similar aspirations and outlooks on life, and who support one another without any barriers in the way.

I’ve never really had this before in my life—connecting with other women on a powerfully spiritual level—so it’s no wonder that I inherently associate my yoga practice with feminism.

And I can’t wait to share it with you!