You may be familiar with the usage of resistance bands from physical therapy, HIIT or cardio fitness classes, but do you know the amount of benefit this band brings when you incorporate it into your yoga practice? In the yoga community, resistance bands have been gaining traction lately as they can facilitate the mind and body connection. Given their accessibility and versatility, they accompany a wide array of movements, making them well-suited equipment for your yoga moves.

Learn More: Basic Equipment Needed For A Full Home Workout

Practising yoga with a band can help you build strength, diversify your movements, and offer assistance, without leaving a hole in your wallet. Other benefits include:

1. Helping To Stabilise Joint Movements

While practising yoga, incorporating a resistance band is a great way to train the stability of certain joints while adding isometric tension. It can help you stabilise your joints and engage all the musculature around them by moving against an external force - the resistance band. You will be able to almost immediately feel muscular activity surrounding the joint rather than just partial engagement (on only one side of the joint). 

For example, in the Table Top Pose (Bharmanasana), when your hands are spread out straight under your shoulders, your elbows will usually hyperextend and you might feel some tension while firming the triceps. With a resistance band, you will be creating muscular engagement around the entire elbow joint instead of just the outer elbows. 

2. Diversifying Your Movement Practice

Resistance bands also control your body through your yoga movement while building strength at the same time because they come in all degrees of resistance. As the band increases the overall resistance level of a pose, it makes the whole routine more challenging. The constant tension of the band would require you to engage your core to maintain control and proper form. 

As you continually progress in your yoga journey, some poses become easier and you will tend to slack a little in that particular pose. For example, if you are doing a Triangle Pose for the first time, you would realise that reaching your hands away from each other is quite a challenge. Once your arms get stronger with constant practice, your muscles will not work as hard. With a resistance band, you will be adding extra resistance to the movement to remind your muscles to be active while you keep reaching away. 

3. Resistance As Assistance

If you practise yoga alone in the comfort of your own home, you would know how difficult it can be to land certain cues without hands-on assistance to find the intended sensation of the particular pose. But incorporating a resistance band to your poses will allow your body to feel the stretch or challenge of that move. 

You would think that the band is only used to build strength as you push back against it, but in many instances, it can also act as a helping hand to lift you or encourage certain muscles to be activated as you move around gracefully. 

Resistance bands can be seen as gym props for some, if you are practising yoga, we suggest you give them a try and enjoy their benefits. Not only will they inspire you to challenge yourself, but they will also change the way you experience movement and sensations in your body as they deepen your mind and body connection. 

Looking to add a resistance band to your routine? Do check out Homefitness’s wide range of bands that vary in their degree of resistance. If you would like other superior quality gym equipment like an exercise mat or even dumbbells and kettlebells to diversify your yoga movements, check out our website or contact us today to know more!