There are many ups and downs in life. There are moments of joy and moments of sadness. There are times where our will is put to the test from many of life’s daily stresses. Finding outlets for pent-up anxiety and stress is the key to pushing through your day and being ready to take on any challenge that life throws at you. Yoga is one way that you can find peace during hectic times. Some practice yoga to gain strength and flexibility. Others practice to lose weight or gain better piece of mind.
If you’ve thought about giving yoga a try, or if you have just started practicing yoga, the following article explains the 7 things that will happen as you learn the poses and start to hone in your skills. I know it may be overwhelming at first, but stick with it., You will see the same benefits that veteran yogis come to enjoy. You will also have a better understanding as to why so many people are now practicing yoga daily.
Read the article below and be sure to share this with all of your friends and family who have expressed interest (or could use some convincing to try) yoga.
To you health and wellness!
Strength
image source: africanrubiz.org
Over time the body will become stronger and yoga poses will feel much more accessible. Discovering body awareness and incorporating appropriate cues from instructors can take a practice to another level. Yoga will never be easy, however the body builds up strength to support the practice in time. Certain daily activities that felt difficult before will get easier. Activities such as walking up stairs, balancing to put on shoes or picking up children can become less challenging.
Posture
image source: blog.ctnews.com
Many of the postures in yoga strengthen the spine and the muscles surrounding the spine. The majority of the work is to maintain a tall spine in each pose. A great yoga class will train the practitioner to take daily habits such as a hunched over body out of the practice. Overtime, students will learn techniques on how to carry the body in everyday life. Some yoga poses and classes strengthen the abdominals, which improve the posture quite a bit.
Confidence
image source: khoobsurati.com
There are so many poses and ideologies in yoga that make the practice a lifelong journey. There is always another variation to achieve or a style to discover. One of the most gratifying feelings is when accomplishing a posture that seemed so difficult in the past. Noticing changes in the body and advancement in the practice gives a person that confidence they may have been searching for. Whether it is an inversion/arm balance or holding plank pose for an extended period of time, these small achievements ignite a positive sense of self.
Mindfulness
image source: mindfulnessynaturopatia
Bringing attention to areas of a person’s life that may have gone unnoticed in the past is the first step toward mindfulness. Maybe its deciding to stop wearing high heals, or forgoing the pain medication for small aches and pains, or possibly holding back on negative thinking. Maybe it’s noticing how many chips are consumed in one sitting or how the body is sitting while eating those chips. Shedding light on these little moments that are overlooked so often can change how life is lived in a positive way.
Flexibility
image source: fit4tennis
In time, tight muscles will release. That stiff and achy feeling when getting out of bed or right into downward facing dog won’t be as common. All bodies are different. Some people are extremely flexible and hypermobile, while other’s bone structure won’t allow for a super flexible practice. Finding the appropriate flexibility for each body type is the healthier way to think about it. Forcing or pushing the body to become flexible like the person on the neighboring mat is not a safe decision. It is extremely important to balance that flexibility with strength.
Body awareness
image source: diskinlife.com
Depending on which route is traveled in the yoga world; learning about the body is an incredible discovery. How often does a person cross their legs every time they sit, with the same leg over? Understanding how body patterns and daily routine can affect well-being is tremendous.
Love
image source: mariasfarmcountrykitchen
“I have found that if you love life, life will love you right back.”- Arthur Rubinstein. Learning to move through life from a place of love is one of the best feelings in the world. Whether it is love for one’s own body, other people, or the love of life in itself, positive outcomes normally result in this way of thinking.
Yoga can turn a person’s world upside-down, literally and figuratively. Diving into a yoga practice in order to gain wisdom, peace, and physical strength is one of life’s best-kept secrets. As time goes on, life will continue to change for the better with the help of a little thing called yoga.
