After another week of incredible yoga, I’m in the mood to gush over this incredible practice, and share with you 10 reasons why you should find and join a regular yoga class straight away:
Physical benefits - these are obvious. Yogis and yoginis spend a large proportion of class time stretching deeply, extending and contracting muscles, bending forwards and backwards, twisting and contorting their bodies into various shapes. It stands to reason that physical benefits (including improved posture) will follow.
A greater ability to cope with daily stresses - yoga aims to look deep inside the individual and use breath-body connection to improve emotional and mental wellbeing. It has now been introduced to many medical centres as a complementary therapy to help with anxiety and depression as well as emotional healing and inner work. It therefore helps us feel more able to cope with mental struggles as well as life’s daily ups and downs.
A boost to the immune system - recent studies have looked at the health benefits of yoga in relation to the immune system, and discovered that practising yoga not only lowers blood pressure and keeps joints healthy but also causes molecular changes that encourage the circulation of immune cells.
Encouragement to eat cleaner and more healthily - yoga feels so good for the soul that it encourages practitioners to adopt additional healthy habits and lifestyle choices, which often start with diet and nutrition.
Improved cognitive function - due to practitioners having to concentrate deeply and mindfully to mind/body instructions, cognition is sharpened. In fact, many mental health doctors and psychologists believe that regular yoga can delay the onset of such conditions as Schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s Disease.
Provision of a path to other wellness practices - yoga will, in time, open doors to many other forms of wellbeing that encourage inner work and deep relaxation. For me, some of these have been such things as: sound healing (crystal bowls and gong), breathwork, massage, journalling, women’s circles, cacao ceremonies, yoga festivals …
A connection to your highest version of self - in yoga we call the higher self the ‘Atman’, and during the moving meditation of yoga we are encouraged to spiritually and soulfully connect to this divinity of our blissful, true self, which is often otherwise buried under years of social conditioning and control.
Increased kindness - the emotional release which takes place during such a cleansing practice encourages us to cultivate kinder hearts that are less judgemental and more understanding.
Improved sleep - those who practise regular yoga notice a huge improvement in the pillar of health that is good sleep.
A yogic community - it has been said that “your vibe attracts your tribe” and through yoga, practitioners often comment that they find their own beautiful tribe of people (teachers and students alike) to enrich their lives.