Guest Post: Yoga for Life
Hi Living Healthy readers! My name is Maggie and I’m so glad Sagan let me do a guest post. I blog about lots of random things (yoga, health, fitness, food, recipes) over at Say Yes to Salad but today I’m going to talk more about yoga.
Yoga has been a big part of my life for about a year now. I took my first yoga class about 8 years ago, but I didn’t become addicted to it until last year when I found Vinyasa yoga. Vinyasa is sometimes called flow yoga or power yoga. Vinyasa is great because you can get a nice sweaty workout (if you want) or you can use it to relax. Vinyasa literally means, “moving with the breath”, so there’s a big emphasis on breathing and staying in the present moment.
Yoga can be a great complement to a healthy lifestyle. I try to do yoga every day, even if it’s only for 10 minutes. Sometimes this means that I’ll do yoga to stretch after a long walk (my absolute favourite exercise in the world – Sagan would probably agree! Sagan’s note: oh you know me so well!), or a jog, or some fun workout video (my favourite is probably Jillian Michaels’ 30-Day Shred). I like to use yoga for stretching because it’s a wonderful way to balance out the repetitive forward motion of walking/running.
Sometimes I do longer yoga classes – 60 or 90 minutes. Most of the classes I take at a studio are 90 minutes, but I don’t get to do that often – they are expensive! I’ve found many online free yoga podcasts (see my Yoga page for some links) that are just as good as a live class but can be done in your own living room.
Recently I haven’t been able to have the focus to get through the longer classes, so I’ve been doing short sessions. But that’s okay! Part of being a yogi is listening to your body. If my body doesn’t want to do 90 minutes of yoga, I shouldn’t make it. I made a short (5 minutes) yoga video a few months ago that’s great for the morning or for settling down at night. Check it out HERE.
There are so many benefits to doing yoga – here are just a few…
–Relaxation
–Improved blood flow (inversions are wonderful – and I heard they can prevent wrinkles)
–Better connection to your body’s needs and wants
–Patience (long holds are annoying, but they help you learn to be patient in other parts of your life as well)
–Flexibility (this decreases the chance of injury from other forms of exercise)
–Strength (you use your own body weight as resistance – think plank position!)
–More friendships! (I’ve formed so many relationships because of my love of yoga – it’s a wonderful way to connect with people)
I hope you get a chance to try yoga. I look forward to my yoga practice every day, even if it’s just 10 minutes. It keeps me happy and healthy 🙂 Thanks again for letting me post, Sagan!
Thanks to all guest posters (Maggie, Liz, and my dad) for your contributions here at Living Healthy in the Real World! Regular posting will resume next week when I’m home from traveling.
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Yay! Thanks again 🙂
maggie,
i think the point that speaks to me most right now is the friendship. i started “yogi tea” after my tuesday and wednesday classes, and ive made so many amazing connections with people.
this has been personally SO important for me, as i used to be very socially isolated, which kept me in very unhealthy patterns in my life. getting deeper into yoga with other people changed my life for the better.
thanks for your thoughts and information maggie!
I’ve been meaning to try yoga for years, been talking about taking some classes with my wife. You look very fit and the benefits you mention in this post may push me over the edge and get me off my butt. Let’s cross our fingers, legs, arms, torsos…
peace,
mike
livelife365
Hi Maggie,
Yoga is one of those things I’ve thought about, and then it never happens. The video you shared was great – and what I really liked is how peaceful it all felt. Does seem like a really great way to start the day! So…maybe it’s finally time to try this! Thanks much Maggie!
Thank you for a great guest post! I forget that there’s not a prescribed ideal for practicing yoga a certain number of minutes each day, and it would be a great way to unwind and cool down after a nice long walk. Thanks, too, for the video yoga links! I’ll use one today after my walk!
Yoga is what keeps me going. I started in 1985 and in 1997 finally established a daily practice. Love it.
Mary Anne in Kentucky
I’ve just started yoga – 2 classes, and I love it – it’s so relaxing. I leave feeling calm and up for anything. Sadly the yoga teacher has been sick the last 2 weeks – good healing vibes to Michael Yoga please!
Great post Maggie. I’ve always loved all the variety when it comes to your yoga practice, and I love that you try to fit in some yoga everyday…even if it’s just for 10 minutes. 🙂
Thanks for the reminder. I always want to do yoga and have never gotten into it. I have to make an effort to give it another shot. It is great for the body and the mind.
I totally support yoga! Sometimes I even sit in the back of the room during a class, and just listening to the instructor gives me a nice feeling!
My mom got me into yoga years ago. It was great mother/daughter bonding time. I never miss a chance to join her in a class when I am at home visiting.
The best thing about Yoga is all you need is yourself. No fancy gym equipment required! 🙂