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!
