What Are The Benefits Of Yoga

Hello There.

Today I want to talk about Yoga!

You can't go a mile without running into a yoga studio. it seems like the trendy new thing to buy a pastel yoga mat and Lou Reed pink yoga pants and go into a sun salutation. But we are not talking about yoga today because it's a good excuse to wear yoga pants.

I’m going to talk about why even just a few minutes of Yoga a week make you more mentally alert, happier and healthier.

There are plenty of studies that demonstrate yoga's potential for health. For example Oxford University found that people who practice Yoga even once a week were less stressed out, and lower blood pressure and slept better at night. And yoga is not just good for your mental health according to the National Institute of Health it's proven to help with musculoskeletal issues especially lower back pain they can even help relieve asthma so why don't more people try yoga? some afraid it'll be too difficult when you see enough people bent into pretzels you start to believe that you’ll never be flexible enough. but what you might not know is Yoga isn't out one size fits all proposition. there are tons of different types of Yoga with names that are kind of difficult to remember, there's Hatha, Bikram, Vinyasa... the list goes on. and while some types do encourage a hard workout where you bend and flex and insane positions in sweat bullets, Yoga can more simply be used as a meditative tool. And you get the same mental health benefits.

Here's a word you probably haven't heard before Pranayama. it means focus on deep breathing and gentle stretching. it's also what  people in the Oxford University study tested and found to be so intricately connected to happiness. anyone in any skill level can try Pranayama so that is what we’ll try to practice today here.

okay stand comfortably evenly on your two feet.

you shouldn't be on your heels or on your toes Center yourself and then notice your breath.

Breathe deeply try to stay away from shallow chest breathing. take a few minutes just to focus on your breath.

Now it’s Time to link your breath and movement.

gentle stretching style, when you breathe in Raise Your Arms and when you breathe out lower your arm. simple as that!

keep your shoulders down and relax your hands. if you want you can spend 20 minutes doing this, the simple stuff is good stuff or you can look up something a little bit more involved. try Googling Sun salutation or, beginners yoga sequence. spend a little time taking stock of how you feel. what do you think of Yoga now that you tried it for the first time?

Now ask yourself the following questions:

1. how did you feel before your yoga practice?
2. What worries were you focusing on that day?
3. how did you feel during the exercise? what about after?
4. how does your breathing feel now?
5. do you notice a difference in your posture?
6. or what about any changes in your mood?

Try doing at least a 10-minute yoga practice everyday for a week!

see how you feel at the end of the week.

OK let's recap: today we learn about yoga, which was good for the Mind Body and Soul.

the word we learned today was Pranayama,which means focus on deep and gentle stretching.

we gave you a worksheet to evaluate your new weekly yoga practice and we're inviting you to try it at least 10 minutes a day I love to hear how you feel free to contact me here or on our Pinterest Profile.

Thanks again

Niv. V

A Dad Who Cares!