Why People Are Preferring Yoga to Going to the Gym!

Most of us make New Year’s resolutions – whether it’s giving up smoking, planning to eat healthier, saving for a trip of a lifetime or learning a new language, but how often do we stick to them?

Money-saving experts that gym memberships increase by 12% every January in the USA. While this is great news that everyone plans to get fit and healthy, the stats also show that after just 24 weeks, most people who start in January quit the gym and stop going! It costs on average $58 per month for gym membership, which amounts to $696 per year – so are Americans wasting their money?

Having a long-term and focused plan on getting healthy is of course a good thing. However, when our good intentions go out the window, it makes our goals unrealistic and costs us. Not only do we feel we’ve let ourselves down, but we have also wasted cash. Yoga seems to be one healthy form of exercise that people keep up regularly.

Yoga Statistics in the USA

We all know how yoga can not only build and tone core muscles but also relax and stretch the whole body. Statistics show that an amazing 37% of people who do yoga in the USA, practice it consistently throughout the year, usually several times a week. The – in a local yoga class, on the beach, at home or in the garden. Once you know how to do yoga, you do not always need to pay to do this form of exercise as you just need to keep practicing the different positions and techniques. For people who attend yoga classes, you usually pay for each individual class or for a course of yoga sessions which is far more realistic than signing up to a monthly payment for gym membership.

So why are people choosing yoga over going to the gym or doing another form of exercise? Aside from the fact that you can do yoga anywhere, it also has many benefits that promote healthy living and wellbeing.Let’s just have a quick reminder of these:

• Improves strength and flexibility:  Just think how many muscle groups you’re working just during a Sun Salutation!

• Supports organs: Yoga in effect stimulates organs and internal glands, helping to keep them functioning well to including diabetes and hormonal problems.

• Detoxifies the body: by stretching muscles and stimulating organs, yoga assists the body in releasing toxins which are then dispersed through waste with asanas such as Parivrtta Utkatasana (Revolved Chair Pose) and Garuda-asana (Eagle Pose).

• Releases tension: Yoga is excellent for helping us to release stress and anxiety and making us feel more revived and energetic.

The above benefits for the body show how yoga can assist in keeping you fit and healthy, but let’s not forget it also helps the mind through breathing techniques and meditation. Stress is one of the largest problems throughout the world, affecting so many of us and causing millions of absences in the workplace. So ditch out your gym membership and start practicing now! You don’t even need to leave your house, just find one of the manyfor beginners and aficionados.