A practise that is mystery to some and heaven-on-earth to others, I’ve done some research and come up with the main reasons why you will (and I do!) love yoga, even just for 10 minutes a day…
Yoga is an ‘exercise form’ I used to do for weight loss – I would go hard for an hour and (let’s be real) I hated it. I would buy DVD’s and go to gym classes with the mentality that I’d need to contort myself into these freaky poses to reach body bliss. Naturally, I stopped after about a month and just took up jogging, or Zumba, or Bootcamp or whatever I was into at the time.
Fast forward a couple of years, and I adamantly practise every day for at least 15 minutes – I come home and it’s like ‘ah, it’s power yoga time!’ It was a yoga-piphany.
It all began when I felt kinda creaky from all the Pilates I was doing, back extensions here and a million leg lifts there. I felt kind of tight and shortened. I’d heard of Tara Stiles, – a famous Yoga instructor – and YouTubed her for some stretching routines. A gentle stretch one day turned into a 10 minute advanced flexibility flow the next day and amazing yoga to open the hips & back.
I looked forward to switching the heater on and finding zen on my mat – not through contortion of the limbs or levitation, but simply through stretching (kinda gracefully!) through flows and breathing naturally. I felt more limber, back pain ceased, and I found my body had changed shape a little – jut generally a leaner look from stretching out overworked calves, quads and inner thighs (and abs – often rejected!)
Now I have some power yoga routines I do a few times a week (YouTube Bryan Jones – legend!) that combine strength, cardio and stretching without you even realising it.
Point? Yoga isn’t about the instant results, or the shape of the pose or how far you can get into your splits – it’s totally about your comfort zone. As soon as you stretch, bend & twist to the end of your comfort zone, it’s so easy to get a little bit further every time.
Beginner? Try gentle yoga with lots of stretches and simple poses – get comfortable with these and you’ll feel inspired to try more methods (Bikram, anyone?)
I know it’s cliché and all, but you do feel a lot more relaxed and less likely to stress-eat after even a short yoga session. If you can do five minutes of yoga instead of reaching for the cookies, you’ll be curbing cravings in no time and creating better habits for yourself?
A shortened version of the long, long list of benefits:
+ strengthen and stretch muscles
+ fight anxiety & depression
+ certain poses and practises induce deeper sleep
+ certain practises provide an amazing cardio workout
+ increase energy and stamina levels
+ relieve back & neck pain
+ become more flexible to protect joints, and prevent injury
+ tune into your own body & mind (you know, see what hurts, what feels good, breathe through tension, and calm your mind of any thoughts)
+ improve digestion
Where to start?
Of course the best thing is to go to a yoga class to get the instruction & technique (& a great way to connect with other yogis/yoginis!) but you can YouTube an abundance of really well-taught yoga videos of many styles if you’re short on time or money.
Questions? Answers!
Stretch happy,
xxxo Faith
