The Health Benefits of Yoga

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'When some people think of yoga, they imagine having to stretch like a
gymnast. That makes them worry that they're too old, unfit, or "tight"
to do yoga. The truth is you're never too old to improve flexibility.

The series of yoga poses called asanas work by safely stretching your muscles. This releases the lactic acid that builds up with muscle use and causes stiffness, tension, pain, and fatigue.
In addition, yoga increases the range of motion in joints. It may also
increase lubrication in the joints. The outcome is a sense of ease and
fluidity throughout your body.

Yoga stretches not only your muscles but all of the soft tissues
of your body. That includes ligaments, tendons, and the fascia sheath
that surrounds your muscles. And no matter your level of yoga, you most
likely will see benefits in a very short period of time. In one study,
participants had up to 35% improvement in flexibility after only eight
weeks of yoga. The greatest gains were in shoulder and trunk
flexibility.'

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