Still stressed from the crazed holiday stesses of shopping, wrapping, celebrating, eating, traveling, working and not getting enough exercise nor sleep? Now that the New Year has begun, you know you need to get back on track to eating better and getting some exercise, but you feel sluggish and don't know how to get started? Let me suggest starting the new year off with Yoga!
I'm a pretty fit person. I run, bike, swim, hike, ski and lift weights. I had always considered yoga to be an easy stretching session for people who were into meditation. Several years ago, I decided to give it a try. Having sustained a sports injury, I was needing to loosen up and figured yoga might do just that. I concluded I could put up with the meditation mumbo jumbo if it helped heal my injury and improved my flexibility.
After just one session, I can honestly say, I've never been so sore in my upper body or core before...EVER! It will work muscles you never even knew you had. I was sweating profusely, even though I was moving slowly or, at times, hardly at all! It's challenging physically, mentally and emotionally, though it can accomodate any level of fitness and is sure to improve even the most fit.
After doing yoga now for several years on and off, I can say with certainty, that it is my chosen way to, not only loosen up and stretch those tight muscles in my body, but to relax my mind as well. I have yet to find anything that comes close to relaxing me the way yoga does. And I found I actually enjoyed the meditative atmosphere of a yoga class. It's one of the few places I can stop all the constant chatter of my busy mind for an hour or so. When I leave a yoga class, I am completely mellowed out. There isn't much that can rattle me after yoga. I am calm, happy, relaxed and exhausted, so I sleep better too.
If you've never done yoga, I challenge you to give it a try. Take a class once to twice a week for a month and decide for yourself. You can start off the new year by decreasing your stress from the holidays and start strengthening your core muscles. That way, when you do start exercising, you will have strengthened those tiny stablizing core and joint muscles you need to prevent injuries.
What if you don't like the meditation aspect? I've learned that instructors vary widely in their instruction from movement poses to meditation styles. Some are a bit over the top for me, and that's fine for some. However, there are numerous instructors and styles to choose from these days and not all of them focus as strongly on the meditation aspect of yoga. According to the attached, downloadable file below, there are 15 million yogis and yoginis in the United States. Now that's a lot to choose from. So find one you like and start enjoying the many health benefits of yoga today:
*Increased Flexibility & Strength
*Detoxification
*Improved Posture
*Stress Reduction
*Improved Sleep
*Improved Concentration, Memory and Attention
*Decreased Depression and Anxiety
*Enhanced Mood and Sense of Well-Being
Learn more about yoga with this free downloadable file:The Health Benefits of Yoga
Download Free Payroll Stuffer here for your employees: Yoga Payroll Stuffers
Need these in Spanish? Los beneficios del yoga para la salud Y La información que se incluye con el cheque de nómina
To A Healthy New Year!
Terrie Stonebraker, RPh
