World Yoga Day: what are the real benefits of this sport?

This Sunday, June 21, we are celebrating World Yoga Day. The opportunity to learn more about this sport which is popular all over the world. Daphne De Geyndt, yoga teacher and founder of the Serenityoga platform, explains the many benefits of this sport.

Daphne started practicing yoga as a teenager after encountering health problems. After rehabilitation, the young woman had to sit still for a long time which caused her to lose muscle. “I could not yet resume real physical activity. Running was too intense a sport for my joints and my body. So, I was advised to test yoga, ”she explains.

Daphne then went to the United States to discover other types of yoga. “There, I had a click. I too wanted to transmit and teach all this progress and all this kindness. So I decided to add yoga to my skill set. ” Since then, the young woman in group and private lessons, mainly in Walloon Brabant. She also created her “ serenityoga ” website. On the occasion of World Yoga Day, Daphne explains to us why yoga is a sport that is good for the body, but also for the mind.

Know more about Yoga from here.

It improves our breathing

Yoga works a lot on breathing. The techniques used will allow us to develop our awareness of breathing. “Most of the time, when you are under stress, you will breathe without paying attention. Since we are anxious, we will block part of our breathing ”explains Daphne. She says that these little respiratory problems are not serious, but that they harm our well-being in a way. Yoga will help us regain control of our breathing. “With yoga, you learn to listen to your body and to feel things,” explains the coach.

It works our posture

The practice of yoga also has an impact on the maintenance of our body. Daphne says: “Contrary to many misconceptions, yoga is excellent for deepening muscles. It brings both refinement, but above all better support of the body. When the deep muscles are strong enough, they will support the skeleton and allow posture to be improved. ” If certain forms of yoga also make it possible to refine the silhouette, Daphne specifies that one must be patient before observing the first results on his body. "It takes time, but in the medium / long term yoga will refine and strengthen the body," she says.

It reduces our stress

The coach explains that the whole philosophy surrounding yoga is to calm the mind and relax the practitioners. “There are people who arrive for the first time being very stressed. They will say 'I don't like it', but it's because it's such a shock, it's such a contrast to their habits, ”she adds. "But yes, many studies have proven the beneficial effect of yoga on daily stress," says Daphne.

It's a three in one sport

“We are going to work our body, we are going to work our mind and we are going to develop all that is of the 'spiritual' order” explains Daphne. According to her, the practice of yoga allows us to reconnect with the world around us and allows us to find happiness in the details of everyday life. “Few sports are so comprehensive,” she adds.

Want to get started?

Daphne offers some advice for people who would like to start yoga soon. According to her, you don't need to spend huge sums on equipment. “Objectively, to start yoga, we need nothing. You just have to have flexible clothes that allow you to move, ”says Daphne. She adds that for people who practice yoga regularly, it can be worth investing in a good mat, a good bra and yoga bricks.

According to her, physical courses and online courses are two good alternatives to start this sport. "It's great to have the opportunity to practice yoga online, especially during periods like the one we have experienced with confinement," says the coach. She continues: “The only drawback when you practice online is that you don't have the eye of a professional. He cannot therefore advise us and verify that what we are doing is correct, that our alignments are good. The posture alignments are quite subtle, especially when you are just starting out. ”

In terms of frequency, Daphne recommends practicing yoga about three times a week when you are a beginner. “It all depends on the results we want to achieve. So that the body can assimilate and create strength in its tissues, we recommend a break of 24 to 48 hours between each session, ”she says.

Finally, the coach recommends that you learn about the different kinds of yoga before getting started. There are milder and much more physical alternatives. She explains that most teachers teach different yoga classes and that it is often possible to give it a try. “Each teacher teaches with his heart, his personality and his energy. A lesson with Professor A will not necessarily be the same as that with Professor B. You can test different places at the start, ”concludes the young woman.