The Benefits of Yoga and Chiropractic Care
By Sara Butler
It should come as no surprise to any chiropractic patient that chiropractors don’t believe chiropractic alone will help to heal you and improve your quality of life. There are many things you need to do in conjunction with chiropractic in order to get the best results you can and one of them is exercise. When most people think of exercise, they think of heart-pumping aerobics or running, but the truth is that practices such as yoga are incredibly healthy. Here’s how working some yoga into your exercise routine will support a healthy spine and a healthy body.
What is Yoga?
You may have an idea of what yoga is – silly poses and deep breathing, right? Not necessarily. The primary focus of yoga is to develop a balance between the mind and the body while at the same time increasing flexibility and strength. Yoga encourages you to focus on different sets of muscles as you hold a pose, often building the muscles in the core and the back as a result. That’s great for your spine since the development of strength in these areas can help to support the work your chiropractor is doing with you.
Yoga and Chiropractic
Your chiropractor works with you in order to relieve joint restrictions and dysfunctions and the symptoms they cause. They use targeted spinal adjustments to accomplish this. Yoga in conjunction with chiropractic helps to keep you flexible but strong, an important feature of a healthy body at any age. Studies have found that yoga helps to reduce back pain, especially lower back pain, and increase function. Combining yoga and chiropractic also has these other side benefits:
- More effective stretching – Yoga encourages you to hold poses for up to a minute, helping to improve circulation and relief of muscle tension.
- Better posture – The goal of your chiropractic treatments is to promote health through a body free of joint dysfunctions and restrictions. In order for this to happen, good posture is a must. Yoga helps to encourage better posture and can help lead to your long-term improvement.
- Reduce stress – Chiropractic care and yoga help reduce stress, leading to increased physical comfort and feelings of relaxation.
Most anyone can benefit from yoga and chiropractic care. If you have questions or concerns about beginning the practice of yoga, then talk to your chiropractor at The Joint!
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Austin, Tex.