Yoga instead of Cardio?

Can yoga be a good substitute for cardio exercises?

              Yoga is known to impart several mental, physical and spiritual benefits. It calms the mind, alleviates stress and keeps your overall well-being in check. But, can it also give you benefits like a blood-pumping and heart-shaking cardio workout does?

              On International Day of Yoga, health and fitness experts elucidate how the age-old practice of yoga can also be considered cardio and improve your fitness levels if you practice certain forms. If you practice certain styles of yoga, such as vinyasa yoga, for a minimum of 45 minutes, 3-5 times per week, yoga can be considered cardio and thus enhance your fitness level  when done correctly, a yoga session may be more difficult and calorie-burning than an hour on the treadmill, and it’s a terrific method to develop and keep toned by using your own body weight.

              Cardio is an aerobic exercise that focuses on activities that increase the heart rate to strengthen the cardiac muscles but at the same time, it leaves the individual strained and exhausted. Yoga focuses on improving the cardiovascular circulation with minimal effort and higher stability.

              Yoga enhances the ability of your body to pump enough blood and deliver enough oxygen to your muscles as you are sustaining your exercise. The healthier and fitter you are, the longer you can exercise at a constant rate. By increasing your cardiorespiratory fitness level, you can also take the daily load off your heart and thus live longer