Yoga Improves Muscle Tone

Reason number five to do yoga this year? To improve your muscle tone!

The first example I think of when relating yoga to muscle tone, is when I went for a massage with a new therapist years ago. As she was massaging me, she asked me what sort of exercise I did. When I told her I was a yoga teacher she said “Oh! That explains why your muscles are so perfect!” When I asked what she meant by “perfect” she said they were toned in a way that she could clearly feel their definition. They weren’t stiff or hard from athletic work, yet they weren’t soggy or undefined either.

A gentle yoga practice can change the tone of your muscles. It stretches them and strengthens them in a balanced way that can be good for all body types. You don’t have to be super flexible,  you don’t have to be super athletic, and you don’t have to be super strong. You just have to be willing to give yoga a try. In fact even if you are super flexible, athletic and strong, yoga can help bring balance to over-worked muscles.

I never recommend yoga for weight loss, however yoga can help transform the shape of that weight by giving the body better muscle tone, as well as improving posture and an understanding of how the body “holds” it’s weight.

So whether you are a couch potato, an active athlete, or somewhere in between, yoga can benefit you by balancing out your muscle tone!

Please discuss any new exercise routine with your doctor before pursuing any style of yoga.