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People are used to say "Yoga is 99% practice & 1% theory", however I thought it would be useful for you to know the benefits of this art of healthy living.
This one's obvious enough, right? All of those crazy poses are bound to loosen you up and increase your flexibility. At my first yoga class, I couldn't even touch my toes without wincing in pain. Now, I might be mistaken for a contortionist. You know what else is pretty neat about my dramatically increased flexibility? All of those minor muscle aches and pains I'd had over the years suddenly disappeared. Inflexibility contributes to a host of other issues, from poor posture to back pain.
It wasn't long into my yoga addiction that I started to notice my body becoming more toned. I had the strength that I had never had before. Not only did I start to like the way my body looked, but I also noticed a big difference in how my body felt. Yes, it's nice to have a muscular, toned body - particularly during bathing suit season- but there are other benefits of increased strength too. As we age, strong muscles help prevent conditions commonly faced by elderly people, such as arthritis and back pain.
There are several positions in yoga that require you to support your own weight (think Downward-Facing Dog, for one). I call them crazy yoga poses. It's well-known that weight-bearing exercises are key to building bone strength. Strong bones help prevent osteoporosis - a condition that causes brittle and fragile bones that can fracture easily.
The adrenal glands, which secrete the stress hormone cortisol, can cause some undesirable side effects in the body when not regulated properly. Elevated cortisol levels can compromise the immune system, contribute to depression and anxiety, cause high blood pressure, and even contribute to insulin resistance. Yoga works to combat these issues by lowering cortisol levels in the body.
As it turns out, yoga affects the brain too. Yoga calls for a focus on the present, and people who practice it regularly reap benefits like better reaction time, improved coordination, and even a memory boost. Although a definitive reason for these changes hasn't yet been determined, focusing on the present - and not distracting yourself with intrusive thoughts - likely plays a role.
For most of us, daily life is exhausting - and often over-stimulating. Too much stimulation negatively impacts the body's nervous system. Yoga provides an escape from the complexities of everyday life, allowing the nervous system to have some downtime. This often results in deeper sleep at night, and subsequently, increased energy in the morning.
So, there you have it: just a few of the many benefits of yoga. Improved physical and mental health, better sleep, a sharper memory - and that's just scratching the surface of yoga's positive impact on the body.
There are lots of physically challenging postures in the yogic repertoire – forget the Crow and the Scorpion for a minute – because here are 10 positions that are a bit too crazy poses for most of us even to attempt, but will make you super yogi’s feel like total badasses!
Photo Credit: Pinterest
Just in case the good old Peacock pose (one of the most challenging arm balances) is a little too easy for you then, lucky for you, you can advance to Wounded Peacock and lift one hand off the ground. This one-handed arm balance is an amazingly perfect counter balance of weight. This pose also requires super strength, brilliant balance, concentration, and, of course, lots (like tons) of practice.
Photo Credit: Doyouyoga
The name kind of says it all! I mean, really, it already sounds too crazy yoga pose even to try. This ridiculously difficult side plank variation requires incredible flexibility and athleticism. It requires getting your foot behind your head while your body is off the floor, all while balancing on one side, not so easy, right? No one is messing with you if you can hold this pose.
Photo Credit: Yogajournal
Don’t let the name fool you, this insane forward fold is so deep that your hands reach to the floor and also thread back through your legs so that you poke your head out the other side and interlace your fingers behind your back. This is a crazy yoga pose of stretching your hamstrings, as well as hips and shoulders, which need to be utterly flexible for you to get close to this pose. Plus your core needs to be super tight.
Photo Credit: Dolledup
This sleeping pose looks anything but peaceful for the average human. For super yogis who enjoy extreme flexibility in the hips and backs of the legs, you are quite literally tying yourself in a knot. A top tip is to start in Happy Baby pose before moving your arms to the insides of your legs. Using your hands move your left knee behind your left shoulder, and bring your foot behind your head. Next take the right knee behind your right shoulder and place your right ankle behind your left ankle. Finally bring both hands to your lower back, and try to clasp them together.
Photo Credit: Thetalko
Okay, we’re really not sure where to even begin with this crazy yoga pose. The advanced variation of peacock pose combines the legs of frog pose, for a hybrid that we definitely wish we knew how to do.
Photo Credit: Pinterest
As if balancing upside down on your hands isn’t hard enough for most of us, why not lift one of those hands off the ground? The one-handed handstand is certainly a pose for the yoga pros. It takes incredible balance, arm strength, core strength, and full-body control. Plus moving your balance and alignment off center makes it even more challenging.
Photo Credit: Depositphotos
One the most pretzel-esque of all crazy yoga poses, this is a backbend of epic proportions. So much flexibility and strength are required to stretch your legs upwards behind you before drawing your feet back down to reach past your head to the floor so you can catch a hold of your ankles. Don’t forget this is a super cute photo op – so camera’s at the ready!
Photo Credit: Pinterest
We all love to invert, right? When we flip perspectives and turn our bodies upside down, there are so many incredible benefits. However, most of us use our hands to help the support us when we take the plunge to the other side. Nevertheless, some crazy yogis can turn upside down using nothing more than the tops of their talented heads! This is serious “Don’t try this at home territory”!
Photo Credit: Youtube
Oh, the plank right? Yeah, it’s pretty tough! WRONG!! In essence, this pose means doing the plank while gracefully levitating in the air! Don’t forget you need to keep a straight line from head to toe too. To nail the Planche you need to perfectly distribute your weight all the way from the front to back of the plank! For super yogis only.
Photo Credit: Depositphotos
To nail this pose, you need to master the lotus pose and the tripod headstand. Even then, it can take months or even years to master the side rooster!
Photo Credit: Depositphotos
