Yoga seems to be the new trend these days. I’ve seen it on the beach, downtown, and even on campus! It is everywhere! Is it just a phase that everyone is going through or is there some legitimacy in all the benefits it offers?
Well, a recent article by the Guardian Liberty Voice and WebMD seem to be pro-Yoga. Wherever I turned to get some information on the benefits of Yoga seemed to be promoting the stress-reducing and disease preventing abilities of this holistic stretch routine. So, for all you MHAC blog post readers, I decided to put their words to the test!
For the past three days I have been devoted the first 20 minutes of my morning to rolling out my yellow yoga mat and doing various yoga poses that I am certain I am not doing right. I started with breathing exercises to clear my head and then moved on to the poses. I have to say, that Yoga is very relaxing (to state the obvious) and overall a great way to start my morning (again… obvious). My day went a lot smoother, I was much more awake for my classes and was able to focus more.
If I have not convinced you, try it yourself! I will include pictures of easy Yoga poses and videos to get you started and then hopefully, you will reconsider your thoughts on joining that yoga class that they keep advertising all over campus or the one that your friend wants to join! If you decide to join a class, start with Hatha Yoga which is for beginners and then move your way up to more athletic types! And, don’t forget to have fun and find… inner peace.
Here’s a tentative list of all the benefits of Yoga:
– Stress management
– Disease prevention
– Chronic pain reduction (especially lower back)
– Pain caused by stress
– Relieve anxiety
– Helps with depression
– Lowers blood pressure
Here is the link to The Guardian Liberty Voice and the WebMD articles! It has some great information and there are other links at the bottom of the page if you want more information!
http://guardianlv.com/2014/08/yoga-reduces-chronic-pain-and-is-effective-for-stress-management/
http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/yoga-for-stress-management
Here is the link for easy yoga poses.
Here is a link for easy morning yoga that I would recommend if you’re just starting out (20 minutes).
And, if you don’t have much time on your hand in the morning (5- 10 mins):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttnfrj2voFI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLLskpRfhpM
Good luck finding your inner Yogi!