What makes yoga so exceptional? Is it that more than 13 million Americans are practicing it today? Is it because people believe that it improves their health, stretches the body, eases back pain, or just simply because it releases stress? Well, all that could be true. For decades, studies have been conducted to find out the physical, emotional and mental benefits of yoga but very little has been done regarding the social benefits of this practice. Learning the social benefits of this practice can go a long way in helping you learn how to strengthen your relationship with friends by yoga.
Yoga is a great determiner of an individual’s social relationship in addition to the quantity of a person’s social support. Just as it has a great impact on one’s emotions and mind, the yoga practice has a great impact on the lives and interpersonal relationships of people.
By now, I’m sure most of you are wondering how you can strengthen your relationship with friends by yoga. Before we can even go into the finer details, it is important for you to understand that yoga is more than just about the good physical, emotional and mental health. So how can yoga practice strengthen your relationship with friends?
Yoga Leads To Personal Transformation
Individuals who practice yoga regularly can confirm that after a yoga class, one feels a whole “new being” with more positive energy and little negative energy which are all crucial in improving our interpersonal relationships with people. Simply stated, yoga is a life-transforming practice that changes how we relate to others. If you have been having a negative attitude towards your friends, trying indulging in yoga and you will experience an improved attitude which will increase the bond between you and your friends.
What’s even more exciting is that the yoga practice hones several psychological traits such as calmness, mindfulness, compassion, happiness, tolerance and kindness, all of which change your perception of others, make you less reactive and make you more compassionate in your interpersonal relationship.
Yoga also weeds out all the negative energy that one harbor, such as being reactive, judgmental and intolerant and fosters a non-reactive nature which makes you a better spouse, friend, and person at large.
Yoga Increases Social Interaction
Just like other forms of exercise such as aerobic or outdoor sports, yoga is one exercise that should not be performed in seclusion or isolation. What does this mean? For all that matter, yoga practice is an activity that people should do together, it is a tool for meeting new people, and it gives one a sense of communal interaction. If you are struggling to keep the fire of your relationship burning, just take some time off and enroll in a yoga class and you will forever cherish that decision.
Since it is an activity that one does amid a group of people, it increases one’s social interaction capabilities. Inviting your spouse, friend or sister to accompany you is a good way to add the icing on your relationship since you will both enjoy the practice.
Irrespective of your age or job, doing yoga will give your life a whole new meaning and a community of new friends and acquaintances with whom you can interact and share ideas. To wrap it up, yoga is a social activity that you can do with others and often result in new relationships and friendships.
Yoga Strengthens Existing Ties
One of the most remarkable facts about yoga is the way through which it nudges you towards greater discovery by making visible previously hidden traits of your personality. Besides, yoga illuminates aspects of your relationship that could be explored and further strengthened.
Yoga begins by requesting you to be fully available, a skill that’s essential for any relationship. A majority of individuals are usually too busy to listen carefully or look at each other, and the natural effect of yoga practice leads your heart to open up and makes you available to a connection.
Inviting your friends and loved ones to perform yoga with you could stimulate further breakthroughs in improving your relationship. For instance, a couple performing yoga together will laugh at the crack of their joints, forget about all their woes and afterward hug each other as a gesture of accomplishment and an unwavering bond.
What Will You Need To Reap the Social Benefits of Yoga?
The social benefits of yoga practice are impressive, motivating and life-changing. However, to reap these benefits, here is a list of what you will need to do:
· Avoid secluding yourself from others
· Practice yoga in pairs
· Practice yoga regularly
Conclusion
Yoga practice can be beneficial to individuals who are at risk of social seclusions, such as the bereaved, depressed and elderly. Besides, this practice can be a good way to rejuvenate and revive a crumbling relationship, strengthen your existing ties with friends and prime you to make new friends.
If you had a falling out with your friend or an argument with your spouse, there is a way to pick up the broken pieces and strengthen your relationship – yoga.