I’m often asked ‘how many times a week should I do yoga?’. Well, obviously EVERY DAY but, not everyone has the time, money or indeed inclination to live my yoga dream!! Like most movement practices, yoga rewards consistency over intensity. Many teachers agree that showing up regularly matters far more than the duration or level of each session. With steady practice over two or three months, you’ll begin to notice improvements in strength, mobility and overall body awareness.
Research backs this up. A 2015 study* followed 71 Indian Air Force personnel who completed a daily, hour-long yoga practice for 12 weeks. By the end, participants were stronger and more flexible, with many also experiencing reductions in body weight.
Similar results show up in non-exercisers. In one Harvard-led study, previously inactive participants practised yoga at least twice a week for eight weeks (around 180 minutes total per week). The researchers found improvements in muscle strength and endurance, flexibility and cardiorespiratory fitness – demonstrating that yoga can improve overall fitness, even without a traditional gym-based programme.
For me, the physical side of yoga felt challenging from the beginning. But the mental and emotional benefits showed up almost immediately. I felt calmer, less stressed and more in tune with my body. Yoga has a way of infiltrating everyday life, too: the more consistently I practised, the more I noticed shifts in the choices I made and how I responded to stress.
That experience isn’t unique. Research published in The Journal Of Alternative And Complementary Medicine found that people who practised yoga three times a week for 12 weeks experienced greater improvements in mood and larger reductions in anxiety than those who walked instead. These changes were linked to increased levels of GABA – a calming brain chemical that plays a key role in regulating stress and mood.
In other words, the sense of peace that you’ve probably felt after a class isn’t imagined; it’s reflected in measurable changes in the brain and, over time, in how you feel, move and live. You’ll be amazed at the changes you can observe once you begin to tune in to your body.