why i love yoga

i started yoga a couple years ago when i was in college and have loved it ever since. my favorite part about yoga is that it’s so welcoming and accepting of everyone. it doesn’t matter how flexible you are or how many poses are in your practice - all that matters is that you do it for you.

one of the reasons i love yoga so much is because it reminds me to breathe. it sounds silly - but i’m somebody who sometimes forgets to just breathe. as soon as i get on my mat and close my eyes, i’m able to regulate my breathing and exhale all the stress i was feeling throughout my body. i tend to hold most of my stress in my jaw, something i never realized until i started yoga. once i finally learned how to just let go, i realized that it was easier to clear my head and focus on my breathing.

anxiety is something that i have talked about a lot on my blog. yoga really helps with this because for a little while, i am able to shut off my thoughts and focus on me. i’m not great at setting intentions or practicing mantras but yoga really helps me with those things. it’s comforting to create a purpose for your practice and remind yourself that you are enough. after some of my meditations, i write down what my intensions were for the day and the mantras that i recited.

another perk is that yoga is also great for you physically. i personally prefer a hot yoga class because i like to sweat it all out but no matter what - i always roll up my mat feeling better than i did before. it feels good to work on strengthening different parts of my body than i normally do at the gym. there are so many different types of yoga you can practice - power, vinyasa, yin, etc. all of these practices focus on different things like strength, flexibility or relaxation. yoga can also improve your balance, posture, focus, and increase your blood flow. (just to name a few benefits)

anyone can go to the gym and pick up a weight but not everyone has the ability to stop and focus on themselves. it can be difficult for people to just stop. i think quarantine has helped us all slow down - but yoga is another way to just put life on pause for a minute. there are so many resources online that have guided meditations or beginner yoga classes - my favorites i’ve been using are headspace and peloton.

now is the perfect time to come to your mat and focus on you. namasté.