6 reasons to practice yoga #ConstanceWithU

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During this challenging time, we want to be here with you offering support where we can and where appropriate. Whether it’s escapism through our Instagram or advice from our experts on how to practice mindfulness, we are here with #ConstanceWithU.
#ConstanceWithU will be your window to inspiring content, sunny thoughts & positivity!
Until we can welcome you again at your favourite
Constance, Hotels & Resorts!
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Here’s our very first
#ConstanceWithU – Practice Yoga 🔆

Bored with the treadmill? Not able to get to the gym?
Looking for a way to practice mindfulness? Maybe it’s time you rolled out your matt and tried practising the art of yoga.
Helping you stay fit and also an excellent stress reliever, here are six reasons why you should try practising yoga.

A workout that works

First and foremost, yoga is an incredible workout and is a great way to keep your body healthy. Yoga is made up of a combination of carefully executed movements, breathing techniques, and aerobic exercises, all of which allow us to maintain a healthy body.
Whether you’ve aced your handstand scorpion or you find touching your toes a bit of a stretch; yoga is unique in that it allows you to practice at your own speed and comfort feel.

Yoga styles like Ashtanga, Bikram, and Iyengar are perfectly crafted to be particularly effective with weight loss due to their aerobic tendencies. However, if these aren’t for you, there are more styles that are for building strength, increase relaxation and relieve stress.

Just breath

A fundamental element of yoga is, of course, breathing exercises. Known as the pranayama, these breathing techniques are intertwined with various positions and can also be practised on their own. When practising yoga, we are encouraged to focus and centre our breathing which provides us with an effective coping mechanism for stress, anxiety and even low moods.  

Breathing exercises used in yoga can also improve your lung capacity as it increases your core strength while simultaneously working every muscle you can think of, benefiting the entire body.
Some breathing techniques used in yoga can assist in clearing nasal passages and can even help calm the nervous system – providing many great physical and mental benefits.

Sounds too good to be true, right?

Meditation, Meditation, Meditation

Meditation is one of the building blocks of yoga and comes with a wide range of benefits. Not only can the art of meditation help you be more present and reduce stress, but it can also improve your quality of life by giving you space to process all the ups and downs that life throws at us.
This integral and bliss-inducing element of yoga allows yogis to welcome a sense of calmness into their lives and ultimately reach a place of serenity with ease.
Why not give it a go?

Goodbye stress

It is easy to feel overwhelmed by the everyday stresses of life, and now more than ever, with the stressful situation we are all in, it can prove challenging to find an appropriate and healthy way to cope with.
However, it has been proven that practising yoga can significantly reduce and manage any stress or anxiety.
Not only can this reduction in stress help our mental wellbeing, but it can also help us physically, reducing our cortisol (stress hormone) levels as well as lowering blood pressure and your heart rate.

This stress reduction is triggered by the principles of yoga, which encourage us to tense then relax our muscles. This coupled with mindful meditation, allows us to experience the physical and psychological benefits of the movements, ultimately allowing us to relax. Can we stay in child’s pose forever?

Helps you catch those Z’s

If you struggle to drift off at night, yoga might be the solution.
Don’t believe us? Harvard University conducted a study that showed that insomniacs who practised daily yoga demonstrated a higher quality of sleep in just 8 weeks. Stress and sleep often go hand in hand, when we sleep better, we are less stressed and when we are less stressed, we sleep better.

Both physical activity, as well as mental relaxation, helps fuel this cycle, allowing us to be well-rested. As evidenced by the Harvard study, yoga is a great vehicle for this, so if sleep if a struggle for you, why not give it a go and say namaste 🙏 to a better night’s sleep.

No gym necessary

With almost all of us not being able to go out, one of the many great things about yoga is that you can practice it at home on your own schedule!

In addition to this, you don’t need lots of equipment to practise yoga, just a matt or even a towel. Platforms like YouTube are full of great videos which enable us to practice yoga on the go or even in our homes.

So what you waiting for? Grab a matt and get practising your lotus post.

Do you practice yoga? Have you experienced any of these benefits? Let us know in the comments.

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