I have been doing yoga for about five years now. Since then I have been feeling better in my own skin. I feel very good about it and now I can't live without it. I started it because I had a full-time job at the time where I had a lot of stress from time to time. I was looking for a way to really learn to relax and get more rest. I found that in yoga. Every week I still enjoy going there and I come home with a wonderfully warm and relaxed feeling. Yoga has become a part of my life. Here are ten reasons why it's so good for me. Maybe it's something for you too?
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For years I struggled with back pain. Sometimes it was so bad that I couldn't get out of bed. There were times when I was in so much pain that I had to cancel everything and lay flat on the bed with painkillers until it was over. I thought it was terrible. Since I've been doing yoga, it seems like my back problems have disappeared like snow in the sun. It seems as if my body gets a weekly maintenance, so that the pain no longer has a chance.
During our yoga class we start by letting go of the day that has passed. Through certain breathing exercises, you try to let go of the day and let thoughts go for a while. Of course this doesn't always work, but most of the time it does. These exercises work very well for me. It seems as if the stress 'evaporates' from my body and I forget everything around me for a while.
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I think all day long. About what I should do, what tasks are waiting for me, how I will handle conversations at work and what concerns I have about my family. Sometimes I get very tired of it. Yoga calms my mind. I don't have to think, just do.
I am not always kind to myself. “I did this wrong” or “I should have done this differently” are thoughts that often go through my head. But during yoga it is always good. I don't have to judge what I do. Everything I do during this hour is good.
During yoga I forget the time. I am doing exercises at that time and not looking at the clock. I am in the here and now and not concerned with what I still have to do, or should have done, with the past or the future.
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During yoga I listen to my body. I listen to the signals how an exercise feels or what the after-effects of an exercise are. Our yoga teacher regularly reflects on this. By paying attention to this, you learn to listen better to your own body and you pick up signals faster. Not entirely unimportant if you have stress or feel it coming.
After a yoga class we do a relaxation exercise. This ensures that your body relaxes. It seems to me to be a kind of phase between sleep and being awake. These exercises ensure that I come home completely relaxed.
I mainly have a sedentary profession and that means that I sometimes suffer from stiff muscles. Yoga ensures that my muscles are released and my body remains flexible.
Throughout the day I have to do, arrange, organize and carry out all kinds of things. During yoga I don't need anything at all. 'Don't look at others and listen to yourself', is one of the advice our yoga teacher gives during the class. It's not about how far you get with an exercise or how loan you are. The point is that you do the exercise as it feels good to you, then it is a good yoga exercise.
This is a very nice after-effect of a yoga class in the evening. When I come home, I feel so relaxed that I sleep soundly. Very nice if you have trouble falling asleep or if you are awake for longer. I always get up fit the next day!
Hint: Are you also thinking about doing yoga? Then try out different yoga classes. There is a lot of difference in the type of yoga and which yoga teacher you have in front of you. Not every yoga teacher works in the same way and you may or may not like a lesson because of that. It would of course be a shame if you drop out after one bad experience!
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