Hello Lake Forest Park Neighbors!! Spring is here, the days are brighter, lighter and longer. Flowers are bringing color back to our world. New beginnings, new starts, new growth all beckon us to start new and fresh as well. So, why do I love yoga?
My top three reasons for loving yoga are first, mproved flexiblity---yes, yes, I know I hear it all the time..."I can't do yoga because I am not flexible..." most of us are not flexible, we sit in chairs all day hunched over our computers. If we never practice stretching we will forever remain inflexible, but the amazing thing is the more often we come to our mats and practice stetching our bodies respond little by little and we start to gain more space our flexibility slowly returns.
When we are more flexible, aches and pains begin to disappear because tightness in one area of our bodies affect another area perhaps causing a misaligned spine affecting our posture which affects our hips and legs and knees and feet, you get where I am going here. My second reason for loving yoga is strength. Most people think yoga is all about stetch and no strength. However, I am like everyone else in that I have 1.5 hours to fit a workout into my day and I just can't sit around and stretch all that time, I need to break a sweat.
The yoga I teach is a power vinyasa flow yoga in the Baron Baptiste method. It's an athletic style of yoga with lots of chaturangas (push ups), standing poses and not alot of rest, we move from pose to pose. Yogis have to be strong to do handstands, and arm balances, backbends and headstands. All that fun stuff! Strength balanced with flexiblity seasoned with awareness. Which brings me to my third reason I love yoga, peace of mind/increased awareness. In yoga class, teachers are always talking about breath.
First of all, yoga is hard enough already without breathing! But seriously, when we breathe in a deep and rhythmic fashion it calms our nervous system, and when we link our breath with our movement we enter into a moving meditiation. So many of us have read about the benefits of meditiation (reduces stress, improves mood, improves concentration, decreases blood pressure...) but can't imagine the sitting still emptying your mind kind of meditation, well, yoga is another way in.
It's another way to become present to your body, begin to listen and become still while still moving. Oh my gosh, I think I have written enough! Where can you find me?
Monday 6:15am Shakti Vinyasa Yoga-Ballard www.shaktivinyasa.com 9:45 LA Fitness Aurora and 130th 11:30 Community Fitness www.communityfitness.com all classes $5.95
Thurs 9:30 Community Fitness Friday 6:00pm Yoga Bliss Mercer Island 6:00am Shakti Vinyasa Yoga-Bellevue starts in April
Saturday 10:15 Gold's Gym 97th and Aurora If I see you on the mat or not, enjoy the lightness of these spring days!
Namaste!
LFPyogini
