From my own journey yoga is one of the most liberating experiences.
If you are considering starting your yoga practice here are just a few reasons why you should do Yoga!
IT FEELS GOOD TO MOVE YOUR BODY. The reason why it feels good to move your body is that during most people's daily lives, the body doesn’t fully get used. To move and connect to parts of the body that feel disconnected allows you to feel better as a whole.
IT CONNECTS YOU TO THE PRESENT. In a world where we are busy and have many to-do lists, yoga practice can give you the space and time to unplug. To spend that time being with yourself, your body, your breath. For that moment nothing else is needed. Happiness is found only in the present moment.
IT RELIEVES STRESS & ANXIETY. By encouraging to be present and to relax in that moment, yoga helps to lower the stress hormones such as cortisol. Having that moment of stress relief has many other benefits on the body such as; lowering blood pressure and heart rate, improving digestion, and boosting your immune system.
IT WILL HELP YOU SLEEP BETTER. When there is less stress in your life you will sleep better. Using your body physically and stilling the mind lowers those stress hormones, which will aid your sleep. There have been a variety of studies on yoga and sleep.
IT CAN HELP RELIEVE CHRONIC PAIN. Studies have been carried out and it has shown that a regular yoga practice can reduce pain for people with conditions such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, back and neck pain.
IT WILL MAKE YOU STRONGER. A daily yoga practice will help tone your muscles.
IT WILL IMPROVE FLEXIBILITY. Yoga practice is great for improving flexibility and gaining a bigger range of movement. You don’t have to flexible to do yoga. The beauty is that yoga can be practiced by all levels of ability.
IT REMINDS YOU TO BREATHE. Breathing is often taken for granted. Our breath, mind, and body are connected in a feedback loop. Yoga brings awareness to breathing and moving at the same time. Notice when your emotions are affecting your breath. Sometimes taking a deep breath is all you need. Connecting to the breath will help you clear the mind and think more clearly.
IT CAN HELP UNLOCK STUCK EMOTIONS. Your practice, your mat is a safe space to connect to difficult emotions. Sometimes a pose can make your cry till you can’t stop. This is totally normal. Our bodies carry emotions and sometimes a yoga pose or sequence can tap into those emotions that we might have forgotten about. Let it happen. Just consider it good therapy.
IT WILL HELP YOU BE PLAYFUL. Practicing yoga encourages you to approach each new challenging situation with curiosity rather than with a preferred type of outcome. It helps you rise to these challenges with playfulness instead of ego and frustration. Allowing this to be a practice rather than a performance. As adults, we don’t often try new things like a child might. Cultivating that child-like mind is liberating. It’s a place to be less goal orientated and to enjoy the journey.