As we finish up this self care series, we are ending with one of my favorite forms of daily self care: YOGA.
Yoga is a very powerful tool in your self care tool box.
It can help tune the instrument (being your body) and keep your mind focused and sharp
A regular yoga practice is proven to:
- Regulate your adrenal glands (which house our stress hormones)
- Increase focus
- Relax Central Nervous System
- Relieve tension
- Aid in sleep
- Boost your immune system
- Help with digestive disorders
- Create piece of mind
- Increase self-esteem and self-acceptance
- Make you feel more grounded and connected
- Build awareness
- Increase muscle strength and bone density
The list can continue to go on, but I think you get the point I’m making here.
While you have probably heard of the benefits of yoga, you may not have tried it yet because you still aren’t real sure what it is.
What IS Yoga?
Yoga is often referred to as an ancient practice of breath and body movement. In historical times, the postures, or asana, of yoga were predominantly practiced as a means to be able to sit in meditation for extended periods of time. It was also generally a male sport until rather recently.
In today’s context, yoga can mean many things. Some Hollywood go getters use very intense hot yoga sessions to get their body ready for a role or maintain their physique. Other people will offer up a world of benefits from the use of props and holding poses for longer periods of time. For our self care purposes, we will focus on this description of yoga:
Yoga is the union of breath and body, meant to calm the nervous system and focus the mind.
This is how I teach my classes and private students alike: YOGA can be done anywhere you are, regardless of if you even have a mat.
How do you get started with a yoga practice?
The breath is primary in yoga and what sets it apart from many other forms of exercise. The strong focus on the breath is also what helps to calm and steady the central nervous system for the benefits we seek.
Your first start at yoga is to simply take a few moments each day and focus on the breath. You can read about a breathing technique in my previous post HERE.
I always encourage you to try out a live yoga class, but I also understand that some people either can’t find one they like or would simply rather try out things in the privacy of their own homes. A live class with a certified instructor will help alleviate any concerns about injury or that “Am I doing this right?” feeling. You can search for local classes online and also check out the Yoga Alliance to make sure your instructor is held to a standard.
Online yoga is also a great avenue, so long as you have a little body awareness to get started.
Here are some of my favorite channels for online yoga:
Adriene and Kassandra both offer free classes on YouTube that will help you get your toes wet with a little bit of yoga. Remember to always listen to your body and do what feels best for you.
Some Hidden Gems of Yoga:
Often times we can focus a bit on the surface benefits of yoga because that’s what we see or hear about all the time; however, yoga does have a few extra tricks up its sleeve that will show up in the long run.
Yoga can help trim and tighten the midsection due to the fact that it helps calm down our stress hormones. Yoga also creates more awareness in our bodies which makes us take a bit more stock in what we eat and drink on a regular basis.
Yoga can also heal the digestive system and prevent digestive issues.
Studying the ancient medicine of Ayruveda, many practitioners use yoga heart and abdominal opening exercises to heal the gut. In the world we live in today, we are constantly bent forward or sucking in…this is no good for the gut. You want your internal organs to be able to MOVE! That’s what a healthy gut does. By opening up the space, we can help to prevent and even heal certain gut disorders.
Side note: don’t replace your doctor with your yoga teacher ok? They each serve a purpose.
Yoga can help ward off mental illness. This same awareness that helps us eat better can also help to ward off mental illness. While we may still suffer occasionally, a regular yoga practice can help us be aware of the thoughts in our heads. The simple act of awareness can enable us to catch thoughts that are not serving us well and confront them. This will in turn help us to live life with a bit more purpose, which has been shown to help lessen the severity of certain mental illnesses.
What’s next?
Try out yoga for a week and see how you feel. There are classes that can be done in a chair or in bed, and there are classes that can help dissolve excessive nervous energy. The fun part is that you get to choose. Start with your breath and always honor that first. Revisit the 3 Steps to Creating a Self Care Routine and 10 Self Care Rituals in 10 Days to keep you going strong.
Remember that self care is not selfish. It’s actually the opposite. You are setting up your own defenses and building up your reserves so YOU can present the very best you every single day. Doing so will help you to help others selflessly.
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