Some yoga teachers say they don’t teach yoga for exercise. They teach it for calming the nervous system, for deep rest, and for emotional regulation. That’s important but it’s not the full story.
Yoga can be both. It can help settle the nervous system and strengthen the body. It can be gentle and grounding, and still include steady physical challenge.
The foundations of yoga
Historically, yoga originated thousands of years ago in India as a spiritual and mindful path aimed at uniting mind, body and spirit. The earliest practices focused mainly on meditation, breath control and ethical living. The physical postures – what many now associate with yoga – were originally developed as supportive tools to prepare the body for long periods of seated meditation. So physical movement was never the primary goal but rather an aid to mindfulness and presence.
How yoga is practiced today
Many people today practise yoga purely as exercise, sometimes in ways that mimic cardio or gym-style workouts. These faster classes may focus on strength, flexibility or endurance without attention to breath, pacing or nervous system regulation. But they can miss some of yoga’s most powerful benefits: calming the body, easing emotional strain and building presence and resilience from within.
Moving between effort and ease
At the same time, it’s important to understand that the traditional aim of yoga is not simply to increase the heart rate or push for aerobic fitness. Rather, yoga teaches us to move between effort and ease consciously, helping the nervous system to balance itself. A mindful yoga practice can still include physical challenge and raise the heart rate somewhat – supporting cardiovascular health and muscle tone – but its unique value lies in helping the body return to calm quickly through breath, stillness and awareness.
Mindful movement for strength and release
For some of us, mindful movement isn’t a nice extra. It’s essential. I fractured a vertebra in my spine due to Pregnancy Associated Osteoporosis. Since then, I’ve learned how vital it is to rebuild strength slowly and consistently without pushing. I’ve also seen how much tension the body holds when it’s trying to protect itself and how that tension needs release as much as rest.
Physical challenge and mindful practice
Yoga can offer both. It can help us become stronger and more stable while easing anxiety or discomfort. It can improve alignment, reduce pain and bring us back to the breath. It can help us feel more at home in the body.
Many people come to yoga for physical reasons: to move more freely, feel better or build strength over time. When done with attention and care, physical challenge can be part of a mindful, healing practice.
How yoga meets many needs
So yes, yoga is more than exercise. But it is also movement that helps us feel grounded; strength that supports rest, and presence that includes the body. When practised with care, it can meet all these needs.
Yoga practised with awareness, breath and care absolutely supports:
- Nervous system regulation (through breath, stillness, rhythm and mindfulness)
- Musculoskeletal strength and alignment (through slow, steady physical challenge)
- Pain reduction and healing (through posture and mobility)
- Mental health (through presence and compassion)
- Bone health, balance, coordination and confidence – especially vital for women’s health across our lives.
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Tessa Spring 
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