Over the course of the 20+ years that I've been practicing yoga I've heard a number of comments from people about what they think yoga is or isn't, and why the should or shouldn't take up a yoga practice. The prevalence of social media has made it easy for people to display pictures of themselves in splits, performing a hand stand, or contorting their body into a pretzel-like pose. For the novice yogi or someone who's completely inexperienced with yoga, this can be quite intimidating and sometimes dissuade them from even trying yoga. Even after 20 years of practicing yoga and becoming a 200-hour certified yoga instructor, I assure I'm not able to put myself in many of those advanced poses. And that's okay.
My goal in teaching yoga is to bring a fitness program to people that they can practice for the rest of their lives. Is flexibility a part of that? Sure, to a certain extent. But I also focus on helping students improve their balance, stability, and mobility. As we age, those factors are critical for protecting ourselves from falls and other mishaps.
Practicing yoga a few times each week, even if it's just 10-15 minutes each time, offers many benefits such as improved physical health, less stress and perhaps lower blood pressure. Here's a good article that talks about what happens to your body when you practice yoga.
Are you ready to start your yoga practice?
Whether it's a 10-minute self-led stretching practice or an hour-long instructor led yoga practice, you'll see and feel the results in no time. So what are you waiting for?
If you'd like to come practice with me, check my class schedule for a session that's convenient for you.
Feel free to leave a comment about this blog post. I'm happy to answer questions. And if you're already practicing yoga I'd love to hear what has happened to you since you started.