Let’s settle the debate: Is doing yoga better than going to the gym?

This question comes to every mind in the present times, while choosing the means of exercise to stay fit! It is a prevalent opinion that one works on the body and the other works on the mind and body both. When two practices tend to fall into a debate of what’s better, delusion and myths get created around the same.

We must acknowledge that yoga is an ancient science, whereas a gym is a modern-day mechanics designed to build stamina, muscles, and strength in the body.

Gym is the ‘fast food’ of the fitness industry. It will fulfill your desire of catching an eye, but cannot guarantee a fulfilling life  Whereas, yoga is undermined when it is merely looked at from an exercise regime point of view. Yoga is the science of life and also lays out principles on how to live. Yoga connects you beyond fitness with yourself.

Even when looking from the limited perspective of exercise, the body benefits from yoga over any other form of exercise.

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6 reasons why yoga may outweigh all other forms of workouts:

1. Free movements with yoga

Weightlifting and strength training in the gym can create stiffness in the muscles. This restricts the movement of your muscles and limbs. Yogic practices are focused on the expansion of the muscles to release tension from the body and mind.

2. Yoga gives mental peace

You might feel like a person with well-built muscles with the help of gym workouts, but it does not guarantee your peaceful state of mind. Yogic practices work on the whole physiology of the body and maintain a balanced flow of prana within you which keeps you in a state of peacefulness.

3. Yoga gives energy

The practices of yoga fills the body with energy. That is why early morning hours are best suitable for yoga. Every day’s early morning practice will keep you energized and aligned for the whole day. Gym training is sometimes challenging for the body and leaves you in a tiresome state.

4. Yoga can be practiced anywhere

To go to a gym, you need to join one or create one for yourself with heavy equipment. For the practice of yoga, all one needs is a yoga mat or if you are lucky and have a grass garden, you don’t even need a mat!

5. No withdrawal side effects

If you are a gym person, you must be aware that it is as easy to lose the muscles built in the gym than it is to build them. Gym workouts along with unnatural muscle stimulants cause significant withdrawal effects once the practice is stopped. In yoga, the practitioner will not see any withdrawal side effects, as the body’s mobility keeps the practitioner eligible to practice yoga anytime, anywhere!

6. People of all age groups can benefit from yoga

Yoga can be practiced by people of every age group.  It is only better if one starts the practice sooner. It is great for kids as it instills a natural understanding of science in them and helps them become conscious beings. A young and aged person will also benefit from yogic practices according to the needs of their life. A young person will be able to direct their alignment in the right direction whereas an aged person can use it for healing. Whereas in gym practices, only a limited age group is fit to participate.

It is undoubtedly true that numerous people have benefited from the gym in terms of creating attractive physical appearances and strength training, but when it comes to the concept of wellness as a whole, yoga may be the only practice you will need.