#1 Try Yoga
Yoga makes you stronger and calmer
In the New Year we often set ourselves up with resolutions that are difficult to keep. Instead, it may be more helpful to set Intentions.
I started my yoga journey over 10 years ago and it now plays a very important role in my life. I have always been into exercise but used to think that unless it was some sort of extreme cardio activity like running or bootcamp or circuits (which I still love!), that it wasn’t achieving anything.
But what I have experienced is that there are SO many benefits to a regular yoga practice for your physical and mental wellbeing including:
It makes you stronger
It improves your flexibility
It tones your body and improves muscle definition
It helps you to be in the moment
It helps you to manage stress or anxiety
It increases your energy levels and vitality
It can help you to lose weight
There is a reason why so many top athletes from all types of sports now incorporate yoga into their training. It is definitely not just about exercise, I am very into yoga philosophy – much of what the ancient yogis teach is the same as what modern day life coaches teach! Over the past few years, yoga studios have popped up everywhere so has definitely increased in popularity.
If you are a beginner, it may simply be a chance to take time out for yourself to focus on your breathing and moving your body - so it can only be a good thing. Try not to have any preconceptions or thoughts that ‘yoga is not for me’ - it really is for everyone.
The great thing about yoga is that there is NO judgement – you can be any age, size, level of flexibility – nobody should compare themselves to anyone else. I encourage you to give it a try – there are lots of special offers in January at yoga studios so find one near you. If you are lucky enough to live somewhere where there is a lot of choice of yoga teachers / studios, give them all a try to see which one suits you best. The teacher really can make a big difference.
There are lots of different types of yoga so it’s about finding the one that’s right for you. Here are a couple of links with overviews of the different styles (my personal favourites are Vinyasa and hot yoga).
https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/the-11-major-types-of-yoga-explained-simply
https://www.gaiam.com/blogs/discover/a-beginners-guide-to-8-major-styles-of-yoga
The world looks better upside down!
If you prefer to get started on your own, I have shared some links below to free online yoga sessions.
We actually all get access to Boxx online fitness as part of our Perkbox membership which includes some yoga videos so log in, click on Perks / Health & Fitness / Boxx and register.
There are lots of free yoga videos YouTube – below are a selection of teachers that I have found who cater for all levels and you can dip in and do sessions of whatever length of time you prefer:
yogawithadriene.com - 30 days of yoga or choose the sessions you like
Yoga with Tim – 30 day yoga challenge
I hope you enjoy yoga as much as I do and I would love to hear about your experiences. Be patient with yourself and enjoy the feeling of feeling flexible, strong and energised!
