I love yoga. I love practicing it. I love the way it makes my body feel. I love the way it makes me relax.
I was not always so in love with yoga. When I first started doing it I thought it was weird and I didn't understand why so many people liked it. I have always been fairly active, I participated in softball, basketball and volleyball growing up. I lifted weights and did a lot of conditioning in high school. When I got to college and didn't have set practices keeping me in shape every day I had to find different ways to work out and stay healthy. I started running, did some exercise classes and tried yoga. I didn't like it and never went back to the classes.
After having some issues with anxiety and IBS it was suggested to me to try yoga for the relaxation benefit of it. After some (a lot!) of practice, I could get my mind to focus on my breathing, the way my body felt and how my body was moving. I found myself getting more and more relaxed, and it felt good!
I have practiced yoga on and off for about 5 years now- sometimes I go to a class, sometimes I do videos at home, sometimes I just freestyle at home. All of it makes me feel great!
Yoga was a real life saver a couple years ago when I injured myself while training for a triathlon. The physical therapist said to refrain from ALL physical activity except yoga was ok. I practiced several days a week then and it helped me recover faster!
If you have never tried yoga before I would recommend signing up for a class or trying a video for beginners. One that I really like is available through Netflix instant streaming. It is called Healing Yoga For Common Conditions and I like it a lot for a basic yoga workout.
Here are some of my favorite poses, different practices call poses different names, but these are the names we use in my yoga class I go to.
Downward Facing Dog- Great for stretching out calves and improving digestive function.
Half Pigeon- Great for stretching out piriformis muscle and releasing tension from your hips.
Legs At the Wall- Great for improving circulation and improving reproductive function (and it is super super relaxing!)
What types of exercise do you love??
Have you tried yoga before? What did you think?
Hope you are all having a great day and thanks for stopping by!
1 comment:
Thanks for sharing. People have suggested I do yoga, but I just can't get myself motivated to do it on a regular basis. I must start!
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