With so many forms of exercise and movement available, why do yoga? As a yoga enthusiast since my first class almost 25 years ago, here are some thoughts I would like to offer for your consideration.
When I began my yoga practice it was because I was STRESSED!! And what I noticed was that after the class, on my walk home, I felt calm and peaceful. Both were new experiences for me. I felt lighter, free-er, happier—all my worries that were with me when I walked into class seemed to have subsided, if not vanished.
Why? What had happened?
During the work-day, I was a thinking, worrying machine, constant thoughts—no connection between my mind & body.
What are the benefits of yoga?
Yoga (meaning “union”) connects the body and the spirit. In class I experienced being reconnected. Yoga brought me back to center, back to where my intuitive self and higher mind could take over.
Yoga also offers physical benefits, greater flexibility, strength, and balance, to name a few. Plus: the insides get worked! It is like giving yourself a massage.
In this world where our minds are constantly going and bombarded with information, it is very easy to live separate from our body. Yoga can bring us back in alignment with ourselves.