10 surprising things that could happen when you start doing yoga

When you roll out your yoga mat for the first time, you probably expect to reduce stress and gain some flexibility but there’s so much more to this centuries-old practice. Here are just a few of the many benefits of yoga and reasons why you might want to start saying ‘namaste.’

You may have heard a yoga teacher mention that “yoga is for everyone,” and after you take a few classes and find the style and instructor that fits your personality and goals, chances are you’ll agree. “So many people are afraid that they won’t be ‘good’ at yoga, whatever at means,” says Ali Valdez, owner of Sattva Yoga Studios and Sattva Yoga Online. “Yoga is all about leaving ego at the door and most students discover that yoga is for everybody.”

You expect to stretch and reduce stress when you sign up for your first yoga class but you probably don’t expect to be sore the next day. Although most instructors and studios don’t directly promote yoga for weight loss, that can be one of the benefits of yoga. Yoga instructor Heidi Keith says that most of her first-time students are surprised both by how relaxed and how challenged they feel after expecting a class to be easy.

Discover the best workout for every age.

You have goals for work, family and maybe even weight-loss and fitness goals, but once you start getting into a yoga practice, you’ll notice that you start to set some yoga-specific goals. Much like how a runner sets distance or pace goals, Valdez says that it’s just like any other fitness objective. “The most popular ones seem to be able to touch one’s toes, or do a handstand,” she says, “It is a joy to see students achieve their goals.”

Learn how to think big and realise your goals.

Perhaps one of the most important benefits of yoga for women is its ability to assist with stress-management. Many women (and men) hold their breath when they encounter stress (which just exacerbates the problem). Valdez says that after taking on a yoga practice years ago, “I no longer held my breath when there was stress at my work, I kept breathing.” She added that she went through a terrible breakup from her fiancé “and the gift of yogic breathing, pranayama, helped me mend a broken heart.”

Here are 12 breathing exercises to help you relax in minutes.

When Anne Phyfe Palmer, founder of 8 Limbs Yoga, began her yoga practice, she noticed a dramatic difference in many areas of her life, including her other hobbies. “I distinctly remember the first snowboard season after I started,” she says, “I was able to feel the same strength and ability I’d experienced at the end of the previous season the first day on the slopes. I had the sense that my edges were sharper, my turns much more graceful.”

Yoga isn’t a miracle worker but your work satisfaction may go up with stress management and concentration techniques. Palmer even found that she wasn’t as easily distracted at work after starting her yoga practice.

Discover 36 ways to make managing stress much easier.

You start to listen to your body’s cues a little more carefully after starting a yoga practice. Palmer says that students cultivate body awareness in class but that it “follows them out of the yoga room.” She adds, “This might translate to really feeling if you’re hungry rather than eating out of habit, or noticing you really are tired, instead of bypassing fatigue and trying to do more.”

Learn to read the silent signs you’re not taking care of yourself.

Yoga newbies often show up for a good stretch but Valdez says that even new students feel calm and grounded post-practice. Keith adds that, over time, most practitioners find more interest in the mind side of this mind-body practice and start to meditate and place more focus on breathing techniques.

Learn 10 ways to sneak in meditation into your everyday life.

Sometimes, your yoga practice will lead you to a healthier diet because of body awareness or mindfulness and sometimes, it’s simply performance. “I started at a hot yoga studio and it was hot,” says Keith. “I changed my diet pretty shortly after joining because I noticed when I ate unhealthy or was dehydrated that I had a hard time completing the class.”

Here are 11 healthy, high-fat foods you should be eating.