I have always known about the benefits of yoga, such as improved flexibility, lowering blood sugar, helping lose weight, and many others (if you don't believe me just look it up). Anyway, my point is, although I always knew about the benefits, I have just now started to take advantage of them.
The school that I recently transferred to, has an AMAZING intramural center. I'm talking an olympic size pool, a rock wall, too many basketball/volleyball courts, racquetball, bowling, like almost anything you can think of, plus a gym equipped with any machine you can think of, and weights. However, I digress because I'm usually not using any of those facilities (I'm trying to do better), BUT… you can find me at…… YOGA!
This practice has really influenced my life physically, mentally, and spiritually. Ya'll I love yoga so much, and you already know I am going to tell you why.
1. It is so much fun, I realize that working out is a big part of having a healthy and balanced life, and yoga allows me to do this while also having fun. I promise that you are more prone to exercise if you find something that you like to do versus just going to the gym and running on the treadmill (unless that's what you like, then by all means girl.. DO YOU).
2. Yoga allows me to not only to physically see, but also feel my body getting stronger. Yoga is like practicing anything else, the more you do it, the better you become. I like the fact that I can feel myself improving each week, every class I go to I feel like I can reach a little farther, stretch a little longer, and balance a little easier. Doing an activity that allows you to see yourself growing and improving helps to better your confidence and self-esteem, and what woman doesn't need more of that?
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| Bikini Bodies don't come from laying on the couch! |
3. Mentally I am in a better space since I started to consistently go to yoga. Doing strenuous moves while constantly breathing in rhythm and relaxing different parts of the body while feeling a stretch in others, teaches you to cope with things in life more easily. If you can stay in plank while holding one foot in the air and squeezing your core all while still breathing rhythmically, you can handle any little test your teacher decides to throw at you last minute. Just breathe, like you always do, because that's what you are taught in yoga.
4. Spiritually I feel more connected with other people and other creatures because of consistently practicing yoga. In class everyone is at different level of ability, but you all have one common goal and that is to leave better and stronger than you came. And don't forget breathing, hearing other people breathe audibly is very relaxing and reminds you to breath through positions that you may find difficult. At the end of yoga my teacher, Courtney (I love her so much, she's like the human form of peace) always says something along the lines of "May the energy we've created with our practice here today, in some way benefit all creatures. The light in me, sees and recognizes the light in you. Namaste."
I mean how can you not love something with a motto such as that?? For those of you who may be freaking out about the "namaste" it's not like "amen" or anything like that. It's a gesture of gratitude expressed by saying the actual word or doing the gesture, which consists of bowing to others. It means the light in me, sees and recognizes the light in you.
I love this because if the world would say AND MEAN "namaste" more often, maybe it would truly be a more loving and better place.
I have attached a link with more info about "namaste", a lot of girls were kind of questioning it in my yoga class and I don't want people to think they are sacrificing their Christian beliefs because of saying it (I was a little skeptical my first time about that).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namaste
Always with love,
Gabs
