Yoga For Physical Therapy?

Yoga and Physical Therapy. They go hand in hand in a lot of different ways. Our Made 2 Move clinic in Downtown Charleston is inside Ethos Athletic club which boasts an amazing yoga program. Learn why Yoga might be something your routine is missing!

Have you tried yoga before and deemed it wasn’t for you? Or maybe you felt like you needed to go to yoga because you should be more flexible? Perhaps you wanted to try it because your friend wanted to find a way to do something ‘fun’ together?

Yoga isn’t for everyone, just like any sport or activity isn’t for everyone. However, yoga has benefits beyond getting in a good stretch!

Plenty of people find yoga challenging, and here’s why: yoga requires you to slow down from your busy day, relax your mind, minimize the racing thoughts, and breathe all while moving into unfamiliar positions. However, the benefits of creating time to control your breathing and move your body are something we could all use in our lives.

Yoga helps to improve balance, mobility, and stability in the body.

In a yoga class, you’ll flow through various standing postures, single leg balancing poses, seated asanas, and inversions. These may seem challenging at first - but just like all things, you’ll start to notice that maybe you can hold Warrior 3 for a few seconds longer than you could two weeks ago. It’s not about how far we can stretch into the poses, but meeting our bodies there they are at and not comparing our practice to that of the yogis around us. One of my favorite mantras to use and remind people during a yoga class is this: We use yoga poses to get more into the body, rather than using the body to get into the poses.

Yoga assists in relaxation, can help to improve mood, and increase energy levels.

As much as we love a challenge on the mat, the real beauty of yoga lies in how we feel once we’re off the mat. Yoga can help with relaxation - giving you the space to slow down and let go of the business of your upcoming week. How often do we get to embrace 45 minutes to an hour of time set aside for ourselves to slow down and move in ways that feel good to our bodies?

Yoga can promote better self care.

Adding in habits to help promote a healthy lifestyle can start to build momentum into creating other lifestyle changes to promote self care. For instance, after going to a morning yoga class, you may feel more inclined to eat a healthier option for brunch rather than ordering the Buttermilk Biscuit Deluxe for the third week in a row.

There are plenty of reasons to try a yoga class. Maybe you do want to try to improve your flexibility, or maybe you simply want to find some to destress and manage your stress better. Your yoga practice is unique to you, as are your reasons for going.

Here at Made 2 Move, we strive to offer the best physical therapy experience that Charleston has to offer. We want you to leave our clinics feeling better, stronger, and more empowered than when you first stepped foot inside Ethos (or any of our other amazing facilities). For more information about our other locations, please visit our website! Email frontdesk@made2movept.com to set up an initial evaluation. Our therapists are waiting for you inside of Ethos Athletic Club here in Downtown Charleston!