We have always been told that a healthy life is a happy life, that it is important to stay fit. Now more than ever it has become apparent that we need to keep both our physical wellness and mental wellness in check. Including a fitness regime in our day to day lives help in preventing a host of health risks such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, etc. That brings us to the question Yoga versus Gym, which would help me get better?
Going to a gym includes a wide range of physical activities from running on a treadmill to lifting weights, these help you stay in shape and avoid health complications. While Yoga might not include such extreme exercises it does help you stay fit, gain control over your mind, and helps in connecting to both your emotional and spiritual senses. One might easily confuse yoga being a purely spiritual activity, while in reality, it is the act of bringing together the body and mind to reach your best potential. We believe that yoga is better than gymming, so let’s take a look at some of its detailed benefits to know why.
1. Natural Stress Buster
While gymming or working out focuses on building muscles or toning up, it pays attention only to the body. Whereas the rhythmic breathing techniques, postures called asanas and meditation that are done in yoga help in gaining control of your surrounding. This helps in focusing during a stressful situation, it reduces anxiety, calms your nerves, and refreshes the mind. Knowing a few relaxation exercises will always come in handy during any situation. After all, one’s body goes beyond just the physical needs and requires adequate attention to the mind as well.
2. Relieves Body Pain
We all know that feeling of waking up the next day after exercising where you feel sore all over, sometimes even to the extent of having sustained injuries due to the strain. This can easily make you keep pushing off exercising for later, which in the end doesn’t really work to your favor. In this case, yoga is the best exercise as it stretches out muscles the right way without overworking, it helps you in becoming even more flexible and resilient to body pains. If you are already subject to body aches, there are specific asanas that can help relieve them, such as yoga for back pain. These help in strengthening those pinched muscles, and avoid any further injury.
3. No Age Limit
You need not be a certain age to start practicing yoga, from small kids to the elderly all are welcome. The same cannot be said for gymming. In today’s overwhelmingly digital world, this can be taken as a great way to bring the family together in doing something that is fun and healthy, while spending quality time with each other. Couples yoga and family yoga have recently gained traction across the world, these can be easily done by everyone at home. Moreover, yoga is beginner-friendly, you can start off with simple postures and gradually widen your range. It is for anyone and everyone who is on the path towards better health.
4. Practice Anywhere, Anytime
The best part about yoga is the fact that it can be carried out in almost any place and at any hour. Whether you are sitting on your office chair or lazing around at home, whether it is the first thing you do in the morning or something you want to do in between other activities. You need no equipment and gym facilities to practice yoga. Wherever it is that you are, try taking a few minutes every day from your busy schedule to practice, and you will start to notice a huge difference in your health. This benefit of accessibility and ease makes yoga better than the gym.
5. Low Cost
Haven’t we all contemplated about taking that year-long membership or even that three-month trial, is it really worth investing our hard-earned money in. The growth of media has worked to our benefit, now there are resources abounding, you can avail yoga classes at minimal cost or even for free. Booklets, blogs, social media, and Youtube channels make it easy to follow and have a consistent routine. This removes the worry of yoga at home vs studio, as you get the same experience at home minus the time and money spent on commute. And when it comes to spending on the right equipment, all you need is a yoga mat, or even refurbishing any other mat will do the job.
6. Overall Well-Being
The biggest benefit of all is the union of your body and mind. No matter how important it is to stay physically fit, it is equally as important to have a sound mind. Meditation and relaxation techniques stand at the core of yoga, it brings together all of your senses to be aware of your present and the environment around. Practicing consistently helps one increase concentration, regulate breathing, and find calm while making any sort of decisions. This is all part of what is called functional training, this helps one maximize efforts on everyday tasks by exercising one’s strength, endurance, and concentration. In this scenario of yoga vs gym, the gym cannot fulfill the overall well-being requirements, it can merely look after your body’s build.
Takeaway
The essence of life is finding the right balance. Finding time in our everyday hectic schedules has become a lot more difficult, which makes this that much of a pressing issue. It is of utmost urgency that we not only train our body in the physical sense but also look after our mental and emotional robustness. And in this case, when we look at yoga or gym, we find that yoga is the better alternative to help achieve overall health. Practicing yoga on a routine basis, even for a small duration every day will make an impact on your whole wellness. Every minute you put in towards health is a minute earned towards a better life.