Why Do Yoga in 2020?
Why do Yoga?
Because it’s a complete exercise program! And beneficial for all fitness levels and body types, from athletes to the elderly… yoga is for you!
All good exercise programs have three components:
1. Cardio
2. Strength building
3. Stretching and flexibility
Yoga consists of all three essential components of exercise. and so yoga is a healthy and complete exercise program!
Also, it doesn’t strain your joints like impact workouts do (think aerobics, HIIT and other low or high impact workouts) and so there is little to no recovery time.
You can do yoga every day, knowing that you are getting a complete workout.
What is Yoga?
According to Fitty Britttty… “Yoga is a beautiful moving art form of postures, breathing, alignment, connection, and meditation. Yoga is learning to work with your body instead of against it. Yoga is allowing yourself to be in the now, be present, and slowly become a better human. Yoga is a workout but not in a traditional sense.” Boy, do I agree with this description. To me, yoga is art in motion…
Fitty Britttty goes on to say… “For me, [yoga] it’s more of a physical moving therapy. There is no other workout that uses breathing techniques to help you move more efficiently and to help calm your mind and body during movement. Not only does yoga build strength physically, it also pushes you to build strength mentally and spiritually. Yoga is unity, community, and connection.”
The Original Purpose of Yoga… was spiritual.
“The original context of yoga was spiritual development practices to train the body and mind to self-observe and become aware of their own nature. The purposes of yoga were to cultivate discernment, awareness, self-regulation and higher consciousness in the individual” (NY Times).
Also, yoga was created to prepare the body to sit comfortably in long periods of meditation.
More than 90 percent of people come to yoga, according to HuffPost… for flexibility, stress relief, health, and physical fitness. But yoga also offers self-reflection, the practice of kindness and self-compassion, and continued growth and self-awareness. How awesome is that!
What are the TOP 8 health benefits of a daily yoga practice?
· Improve flexibility, strength, and posture. A daily yoga practice will help stretch and tone your body muscles. ...
· Better all-round fitness. ...
· Weight loss. ...
· Increase your energy. ...
· Reduce stress. ...
· Breathe better. ...
· Be happier. ...
· Become more mindful.
Yoga can also help improve these conditions…
· Poor blood circulation
· High blood pressure
· Arthritis
· Osteoporosis
· Limited mobility
· Lower back pain
· Trouble breathing
· Headaches
· Tension or stress
· Depression
And…
Yoga can help you:
· Reduce your risk for injury.
Each yoga pose targets, lengthens and strengthens specific muscles. This helps you increase your flexibility and reduce your risk for injury.
· Reduce stress.
Yoga helps soothe the mind and lowers stress levels. It does this by focusing the mind on the moment, the movements and your breathe.
· Increase your concentration.
A main part of yoga is rhythmic, focused breathing. This helps your focus.
· Understand the mind and body connection…
Yoga requires you to focus all your energy on each movement or pose exactly. This can help you feel the mind and body work together.
· Gain strength and stamina. More vigorous styles of yoga promote strength and stamina.
· Improve balance and stability. Balancing poses require you to use your core muscles. This helps you improve your overall stability.
· Improve posture. Yoga poses strengthen and open tight areas of the body like the shoulders and muscles of the upper back. This helps you keep good posture.
· Develop body awareness. Yoga requires you to contract or relax specific muscles as you stretch into each pose. This helps you become more aware of your body’s strengths and weaknesses.
Why do I practice yoga?
Yoga is the most holistic activity that exists! It unites the body, the mind and the spirit, and takes care of your needs at all these levels.
Specifically, the biggest reason I come to my mat regularly is to help my body and mind relax to better manage anxiety or stress so that I can live my most optimal life with vitality.
Other reasons for showing up on my mat is I enjoy moving my body, and I love how my yoga practice is a reflection of what’s going on in my world. For example, if I’m rushing through my practice, or getting frustrated with a certain posture, yoga allows me the time to self-reflect and figure out what’s going on for me in my life off the mat, and allows me the space to creatively come up with solutions that best meet my needs. What happens on my yoga mat is a reflection of what’s happening in my life.
Also, yoga connects me to my spirit like no other activity (except meditation) ever can or will! If I feel lost, I know yoga acts as my therapy to find myself again whole in body, mind and spirit.
There are thousands of different yoga styles! Here are the main ones we find in the US…
Types of yoga practiced in the USA…
· Hatha yoga. This form of yoga is the most popular in the U.S. It’s known as the yoga of force. It emphasizes strengthening and purifying the body. It involves physical postures (asanas) and breathing techniques (pranayama).
· Iyengar yoga. This style of yoga focuses on alignment. It is fluid and dancelike. It uses props like wooden blocks, straps, chairs, bolsters, and blankets to help you achieve and hold postures you otherwise couldn't hold.
· Ashtanga yoga. This kind of yoga is sometimes called power yoga. It's intense and fast-paced. It’s designed to build your endurance and strength. You do a series of postures in 1 continuous, flowing movement. You link the motions to breathing patterns.
· Bikram yoga. You do this form of yoga in a very hot room (heated to over 100 degrees F and humidified) unlike many other types of yoga. Bikram yoga involves a set of 26 postures that you practice twice per session. First you do standing and balance poses. Then you do back bends, forward bends, and twisting postures.
· Restorative yoga. This type of yoga does not use active postures. It focuses instead on the relaxation part of yoga.
· Kripalu yoga. This is a gentler, slower-moving style of yoga. It’s between restorative yoga and the more vigorous forms. And my favorite is…
· Vinyasa Flow yoga. This is a combo of hatha and ashtanga yoga done in a fluid dance-like motion. Where each posture follows another flowing rhythmically with the breath. One of my students called it romantic yoga. Art in motion. Just beautiful.
For all these types of yoga practices, you can find beginner, intermediate and advanced student classes.
I love beginner classes, even after 20 years of practicing and teaching yoga. This reminds me that I am a student of life and there is always more to learn.
Why not give yoga a try in 2020?
Yoga can help you get fit for life. It helps you deal with stress; and do things with more ease like pick up your child, control your dog, carry groceries, or work in your garden. It also can help to prevent or ease back pain and muscle or joint injury and give you self-reliance and self-esteem. Yoga also improves athletic performance.
Yet, one of the most important benefits of any yoga routine isn't physical — it's the quieting of the mind. The bottom line is learning to pay attention. You fine-tune your attention, beginning with the body, and then moving to the mind. As you get deeper into your practice over the years, you start to see the mental and spiritual benefits.
Ah yes, the spiritual benefits…. that will be for another time…
Much love,
Karine XXX
The opinions expressed in this article are my own. Always consult a doctor or health professional before starting any exercise program, even yoga.