Yoga Could Be A Game Changer for You
Try it! Or if you already do yoga, try more. You will be amazed at the number of good things that happen.
For a couple of years, I faithfully attended a yoga class on Monday nights. It worked beautifully and I rarely missed a class. But the rest of the week my yoga mat was parked in the corner at home. Then gradually I began to notice little bits of yoga creeping into my whole day.
As I was sitting reading it was easy to do some deep breathing, shoulder rolls, and side to side head and neck movements. When I was in the kitchen working on dinner I found I could do the yoga tree pose, balancing on one leg. When I was really stressed at the office I could close my door and spend 10 minutes on my yoga mat doing deep breathing and visualizing a perfect sunset at the beach.
Wherever you are with yoga, making room for a few practices will lead you to more. And when it does yoga can improve stress levels, flexibility, balance and overall mood.
If you are new to yoga visit a studio or observe a gym class and then try a session. It may seem a bit overwhelming at first, but just find a spot toward the back, stretch out your mat and let everything go from there. From the beginning mountain pose where you stand tall and breathe deeply to the final corpse pose where you simply stretch out flat on your mat and let the class drift to a close, you may be hooked.
After her first class, one of my friends said, “The minute I settled onto that mat my tensions began to drop away. By the end of the class I knew I would be back again and again.”
As you get further into yoga’s postures and breathing routine you may find you need less sleep. You may also feel better eating lighter, roaming through the produce aisles and skipping processed foods. You may also automatically wake up earlier in the morning and actually feel energetic.
Early morning time could be great for a yoga meditation. Less phones, less family activities, just less everything, will give you a fresh start on the day. As you make this time your time you could explore mindful meditation or new poses. Whatever you choose, yoga may become a firm friend, present every day, scooping up stress and smoothing out bumps.
While you are at it talk with your chiropractor about yoga and stretching exercises. He can help you learn more about the effects on your body and even more ways to maximize the results.