I was at a wedding shower last night and someone asked why I chose yoga as my fitness regime. I had offered her some of the benefits listed below. She responded, “Wow. You should be the yoga spokesperson. I’m sold!”
Announcing ... Jen’s Top Ten List
1. Flexibility. This is the most obvious reason to everyday exercisers. Many runners and weight trainers start a yoga practice to become more flexible. They don’t see that there are at least nine more reasons to find themselves on their yoga mat.
2. Cardiovascular fitness. It’s true. In an Ashtanga or a vinyasa (flow style) yoga practice, your heart can really elevate.
3. Self-Esteem. In yoga you learn to “honor” who you are, over time this really amps up “self-love” and self-esteem.
4. Detoxification. Skip those all Vegan and ph balance diets, just get yourself to a yoga class and start sweating. Bikram yoga is practiced in a heated room (105-108 degrees). You are guaranteed to shred several pounds of toxins in one of these classes.
5. Strength. If you have ever done a sun salutation (Suryanamaskara) you know what I’m talking about. Chaturanga Dandasana (a low push up about three inches from the ground), which is a part of Suryanamaskara takes a little bit of strength. Doesn’t it?
6. Weight control. Beyond just burning calories, yoga also teaches mindful methods to all areas of our lives. This includes what foods we eat and how we eat them.
7. Mental clarity. In yoga we learn to breathe as the body flows. You are not just moving your body, you are also coordinating your movement with every inhalation and exhalation. With this kind of concentration for an hour or an hour and a half time, you can’t help but leave a yoga class with less mental chatter in your head.
8. Increase energy. Every exercise regime seems to improve energy, however I believe yoga does a better job than most physical exercises. You see, yoga takes us beyond just a physical workout. Yoga also clears the mind (see #7) which when not cleared can deplete your energy. Plus yoga can release deep emotional wounds that are held in the body. Without these wounds holding your back your energy levels elevate.
9. Reduces and demolishes stress. I believe yoga can demolish daily stress completely. You see after you practice yoga for some time (6 years or more), you begin to be calm in many what-could-be-called– “high-stress”-situations. Some examples include sitting in traffic, conflict with a spouse or even a loved ones death.
10. Peace. Imagine your days with more focus, concentration, clarity and peace. You just can’t beat that!
