Why do yoga?
Have you ever considered doing yoga? Or wondered about why to do it?
The main reason I do yoga is pretty simple: It makes me feel better.
It requires minimal equipment - just a few square feet of space and a mat - so you can do it just about anywhere.
And it's the only form of exercise I've ever discovered that always ends (and sometimes begins) with rest and relaxation. (A huge selling point for a lazy girl like me.)
I first began practicing yoga to alleviate back pain. That was more than 15 years ago. I'm still at it all these years later.
I've continued to do yoga through the good times and the bad - sickness, health, happiness, sadness, divorce, death and re-marriage. I feel like it's helped me better navigate the ups and downs of life.
My yoga mat is my magic carpet, a safe haven in an often unpredictable and chaotic world. The place I go to relax, recharge and reconnect.
Why Do Yoga: An Expert's Opinion
Deepak Chopra explains in The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga: A Practical Guide to Healing Body, Mind, and Spirit: "Yoga is a practical system to awaken human potential. It does not require you to believe in a set of principles in order to reap its benefits. On the contrary, the regular practice of yoga naturally generates a healthy belief system based upon your direct experience of the world through a more flexible nervous system. Perform yoga poses on a regular basis and your mind and emotions will change."
I wholeheartedly agree.
Why Do Yoga: The Benefits
Yoga has helped me...
- Cure severe back pain and sciatica attributed to herniated disks
- Eat more healthfully
- Lose more than thirty pounds and keep it off
- Normalize borderline high blood pressure
- Alleviate tension headaches
- Feel calm and balanced most of the time
- Be more patient and centered in my life
- Cultivate focus and concentration
- Manage stressful times
- Feel simultaneously relaxed and energized
- Be kinder to myself and others
- Gain strength and flexibility
- Improve body awareness
- Slow down and savor life
- Connect with like-minded people
- Sleep better
- Trust my intuition more
- Cope with loss
- Develop more confidence
No other form of exercise has come close to helping me on so many levels. Not walking, or running, or the stairmaster, or aerobics, or strength training. And that's why I continue to do it. And encourage others to give it a whirl.
Many who practice yoga report similar experiences. I guess that's why yoga has endured for thousands of years!
I don't practice for hours a day. I try to make time for 20-40 minutes most days. Sometimes five minutes for a quick down dog and few deep breaths is all I manage.
I love teaching yoga to beginners, seeing them change, hearing about positive effects it has on their lives. It's the best feeling in the world.
Have you tried yoga? What did you think? If not, I hope you do!
If you liked why do yoga:
Staying Young with Yoga
Yoga for Stress Relief
Yoga for Back Pain
7 Ways Yoga Helps with Weight Loss
*PointsPlus® and SmartPoints® calculated by Simple Nourished Living; Not endorsed by Weight Watchers International, Inc. All recipe ingredients except optional items included in determining nutritional estimates. SmartPoints® values calculated WITHOUT Weight Watchers Zero Points fruits and vegetables using the WW Recipe Builder.
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