Flexibility and Balance
Benefits
In terms of flexibility and balance, yoga contains various poses that require individuals to stretch different muscles and/or balance the body for a period of time. Whether young or old, yoga has been shown to reduce stress in muscles due to gentle stretching while strengthening muscles where balance is needed most, such as muscles in the legs.
According to one study, significant improvements were made in hamstring length and strength of participants involved in taking biweekly sessions of yoga. This means less stress was applied to the hamstrings, thus reducing lower back pain (Donahoe-Fillmore et al, 2010).
Enhancement
According to another study, researchers suggest that yoga enhances sports performance as significant increases in flexibility, balance, and whole body measures were taken by college sports participants. Though, it is noted that for future studies, researchers should focus on yoga training in relation to a single sport to understand the full impact of yoga on sports performance (Polsgrove et al, 2016).
