Ways to integrate Yoga in Healing Body!

BODY

Practicing yoga or any form of exercise increases your energy.

• Eating a balanced diet with lots of greens, reducing processed sugars, and drinking lots of water is not only healthier for your body, it also nourishes the mind. In the book The Ultra Mind, author Mark Hyman correlates how “junk” food can affect our moods and diseases such as depression.

• Sleeping is important, ideally eight hours. You’ll feel refreshed and a lot less prone to making poor choices.

ways to integrate yoga into your life this spring.

1. Start Small.

One of the top reasons why people are resistant to starting yoga is the intimidation factor. With name-brand yoga gear, the rapid corporatization, and prohibitively expensive monthly class packages, it is no wonder that this industry seems not so beginner friendly.

Luckily, there is an endless amount of free resources online. From YouTube videos of hour-long classes, to anatomically-correct descriptions of each pose, to studio directories, there is an answer to every yoga-related question.

Use online resources to get comfortable with the names of poses, class etiquette, and the history of yoga so that any intimidation just melts away as you step into your first class.

2. Hop Around.

Finding the right studio and the right instructors is essential to your enjoyment of the practice. Many studios offer “First Week Free” coupons, so use those offers to explore yoga in your community.

Hop around to as many studios as you can, trying different styles of yoga and different instructors. Find a studio where they remember your name and inquire about injuries.  If there is an instructor who inspires you, that’s a good sign that you are in the right place.

If you do not find your “home” within the first few studios, don’t get discouraged! With the proliferation of yoga in the US, there is a studio and style of practice for everyone – big, small, young, old, businessperson, veteran, able bodied and not so able bodied – there truly is a home in yoga for everyone.

3. Flow with a Friend.

Everything is better when you have someone to share it with! Convince a friend at your same experience level to attend some classes with you. This will allow you to let your guard down and enjoy the experience a little more.

Not to mention, you will have someone to laugh with. When the kooky instructor starts belting out the “OM” or the guy next to you in down dog lets out a questionable noise, your friend will be on the next mat over trying equally as hard to suppress the giggles.

4. Give it Your Best.

By this I mean, give yoga a genuine shot. Lots of students give up their practice when they cannot conquer Crow pose after only two weeks. Understand that when you enter the world of yoga, all the rules about competitiveness, comparison, and deadlines that we are raised with go out the window.

Yoga is about simply enjoying the journey. Your journey. Not the journey of the person on the mat next to you. Your uniquely beautiful journey.

Come to your mat each time with an open mind and a compassionate heart, and you will be surprised at how much easier the poses will come to you!

5. Just Let it Go.

Yoga is as much about the mental practice, if not more than, the physical practice. Make a conscious effort to clear your mind, letting go of negativity. First, try letting go of any preconceived notions about who should practice yoga, what they look like, how they dress, what they eat, etc.

Every yogi is different and defines yoga in his or her own individual way. Second, try hard to let go of any judgments and negative feelings you are harboring towards yourself. Just enjoy the present moment, enjoy the journey.

Know that each day is different. Some days your balance and your focus will be rockin’. Other days, not so much. Learn to accept your body and your mind as they are, rejoicing in the gifts they give you and not bothering yourself with the shortcomings.

Embrace the ancient concept of “just letting it go” and one day you will wake up and realize that you are a more peaceful person, not to mention a real-life, living, breathing yogi!