5 reasons to practice yoga…
…that have nothing to do with how you look
We’ve said it hundreds of times but we’ll say it again: doing yoga isn’t just about being flexible or being able to do a certain pose. It's about what you learn about yourself in the process, and yoga gives you tools to live a better life.
Here are 5 reasons you should try yoga, even (or especially) if you don't think you're flexible enough to do yoga.
Learn to breathe more effortlessly - you'll need to read the book "Breath" for the full story here, but breathing is amazing. We, as humans, are lucky that we can breathe through both our noses and our mouths, but a lot of us do SO much mouth breathing which leads to lots of problems. Our noses are quite literally built for breathing! We actually have tissue in our sinuses that is "use it or lose it" that rebuilds the more you breathe through your nose and disappears if you don't. So the more you practice breathing well (through your nose,) the more you'll get the benefits of it off your mat.
Build strength - yes, you can get stronger from practicing yoga! Ever heard of body weight exercises? Supporting yourself on your hands and feet, practicing standing on one leg, loading various joints...all of these happen in certain yoga classes and help to challenge your muscles and improve your physical strength. (Could you add in other types of strength and cardio workouts? Absolutely!) You'll particularly feel these benefits in our Slow Flow, Vinyasa, and Katonah style classes.
Practice functional movement patterns and help to increase flexibility and mobility - twists, side bends, lunges, and forward folds aren't just part of our practice for fun. We don't just get down on the floor and back up for the heck of it. These are all movements we do in everyday life, and the more we practice them, the better we get at them. That way it feels easier to look over your shoulder in the car, pick something up off the ground, play with your kids and/or dogs, and walk around.
Try something new - when was the last time you were a beginner? Yeah, it’s hard to do things you're not good at...and it helps your memory and confidence to learn something new. And guess what: there is no "winner" when it comes to yoga class. There's no leaderboard. Just being on your mat is the prize.
Group co-regulation - without even trying, without saying a word, when you are in a room with other people, you start to sync your breathing rate up to theirs, which then syncs your heart rate too. (We're back to #1, breath!) The co-regulation benefits you get from just being in a room with other people are amazing, and if you strike up a conversation with someone new, you might make a new friend too.
The point of yoga is not to be good at yoga. The point of yoga is to live a better life.