But first, yoga
First I do the yoga,
then I do the things.
In this post ‘ But first, yoga ‘, I talk a little about why I love Yoga as much as I do.
There’s a feeling of bliss after a good session on your mat – I call it yogasm.
I hope that this light-hearted piece inspires you to practice daily.
Strike a pose
“Yoga is not about touching your toes. It is what you learn on the way down.” ~ Jigar Gor
“Yoga is a light, which once lit, will never dim. The better the practice, the brighter the flame.” ~ B.K.S Iyengar
“Yoga takes us to the present moment, the only place where life exists.” ~ Ellen Brenneman
Why I love yoga.
You need to practice yoga regularly in order to truly understand and reap its benefits.
After obtaining my yoga teacher’s certificate, the first thing I said to myself was that now I was going to take a few days for just relaxing. I’d been doing yoga daily, some days for hours at a time, and I really thought I needed a break. So I woke up the next morning, stretched my arms out overhead nicely in my bed, opened my eyes and….. felt like my morning yoga sesh! It had become a habit, something that my body and mind craved.
In the past when my eyes opened, my first thought was breakfast, or the inevitable ‘I need my coffee’…. It’s so strange how my thought patterns changed and my body’s needs changed, to where now first before anything else I want to get my yoga on.
It’s quite hard to explain what happens or why it is all that. I almost want to say it’s something that happens on a cellular level, that affects your entire being. It’s definitely brought a shift in my life.
More reasons I love yoga.
Perspective.
Practicing yoga lets you look forward, upside-down, sideways, and with every way you look, you get a new perspective. This filters through to your life off the mat too where you begin to see situations from different points of view.
Fulfillment
It’s no secret there are some challenging postures and if a posture becomes too easy there is always a harder version. The thing is, with practice they do become easier. And the feeling of fulfillment when you manage to rock that pose is just amazing.
Alignment.
One slight adjustment is enough to change your experience in a pose.
Happiness & Energy.
The movement of the body combined with breathwork allows energy to circulate through the entire body, which stimulates the energy centres.
Many studies and research papers show that practicing asana and meditation regularly results in higher serotonin levels (the happiness hormone).
Strength.
Yoga integrates muscle groups to create overall functional strength and endurance. It will activate muscles you never knew you had!
All the benefits.
And there are many! Read about them in this post I wrote for beginners.
What it comes down to is that yoga will benefit your life, and the only way to tap into the magic is by doing it.
Just do it!
Follow the Hbubblesover Facebook page.
