I’ve written before about my love of yoga. I absolutely love how it makes me feel. Every January, I love the 30 days of yoga programme put out by everyone’s favourite online yogi, Adriene Mishler, on her free Youtube channel with over 4m followers – Yoga With Adriene. As I mentioned here, I couldn’t finish the 2018 programme in January – TRUE – because I got injured. So I’ve basically been waiting all year to get back on the January yoga train. There is something so great about knowing that millions of people around the world are doing it alongside you each day when a new video goes live.
This year’s 30 days are called Dedicate and it kicks off on Jan 1st with an orientation/welcome video. The yoga starts on the 2nd – so don’t panic if you’re worried the hangover will ruin you from the beginning! I’ll let Adriene explain more in the video below and I’ll see you on the mat?
Still not fully convinced of my intense love for yoga? I’ve got 9 reasons below as to why I think you should try yoga in 2019.
9 Quick Reasons to Try Yoga
Stress Relief
This is a BIG one for me. I notice when I am not doing yoga. My mind wanders during the day and I am far more likely to feel anxious and get worked up. And studies have been done on this, so don’t just listen to me. Read this. I’ve even gone as far to say that yoga is part of my morning routine/self care routine and NOT my workout for the day. I just need it for my mind.
Improved Flexibility
I am not the most flexible of people but I find it much easier to stretch after my workouts – and even recover quicker – when I’m practising yoga regularly. I just feel less stiff and become much more aware of my body and how I feel in myself. This improved flexibility is also proven to protect you against injury so if you’re starting a new gym routine in the new year – maybe chuck some yoga in on top of that to stay injury free and also improve your range of motion.
Enhanced Focus
As I mentioned above, I can focus better when I’ve had a little time on my mat that day. Yoga centres the mind – I think of it as a physical meditation – I find sitting still and meditating really difficult but on the yoga mat, I get that same ‘peace’ people talk about from mediation at the end of a session – I not only get great ideas & solve problems when upside down – it’s happened more than once when I have literally found the answers on the mat (I sound loopy now I know… stick with me…, but I am also far more productive and efficient for the rest of the day. There’s a proven study here.
Better Balance
This is something you will notice come through regular yoga practice. I find I’m much more stable in the gym when I am doing yoga – which is needed when upping the weights & also when hiking mountains – this was really important for me to do in the lead up to our hike in Chile. (It has also been proven to help stroke survivors and older people.)
Improved Digestion
This is a big one for me too. I’ve written about my digestive issues before here, so I won’t go into details, but the the twists and bends in yoga actually massage your internal organs and help to detox your system. Cool, right?
Better Concentration
The concentration you develop in yoga translates to other areas of your life and you become a better listener. There is not magic as to why so many people across the world, particularly in the East, consider yoga to be a mindful exercise & not simply a great way to stay in shape. Proof in the pudding here.
Improved Sleep
Again, there are a few studies on this, but the breathing in yoga helps your body to relax which will help you to sleep better, deeper & longer. And everyone loves that, right?
Building Stamina
You hold poses for a long time in yoga, you improve your breathing and your strength which will show when you next go on a long walk or try to up your cardio in your workouts.
Improved Posture
I have always struggled with my posture. As a child, I was always the tallest and as a result slouched a lot. I spend a lot of time at my laptop and have to reverse that shoulder hunch. Yoga strengthens every muscle in your body including your core which straightens you up and also makes your aware of your body, as I touched on above, so I find I notice when I’m slouched and not standing tall. It’s like I need to give my body space and stop smushing my insides together… that’s my very serious technical explanation. 😉
Are you going to try yoga in 2019? Tell me below!
