5 Ways to Improve your Wellbeing with Yoga

Why Yoga is a Good Addition to Regular Exercise schedule

I have been doing or shall I say being yoga for about 18 months and I see the undeniable difference the practice makes to one's wellbeing.

Yoga originated from India as a physical, spiritual and mental practice. But I feel that people often get put off doing it because of the spiritual aspect attached to it. Because there are different forms of yoga, some more inclined to meditation and others a mix of the physical and the spiritual aspects; there is something for everyone. People tend to steer away from anything with a religious aspect. But I am here to hopefully unpack the dogmas attached to yoga using my own experience.

I have been doing some form of meditation for the last seven years but I would not call myself a master at it. Over the time I have adopted everything I have learnt to suit my needs. I rarely meditate in the traditional format of sitting at mantras but I listen to the heart centre every day and perhaps most importantly every single moment I can escape my rational brain. So I am essentially meditating all the time. With this perspective in mind, let us look at yoga as an exercise for all.

Yoga and breathing

There are three main breathing techniques; relaxed, diaphragmatic breathing and Prayanama- the gentle extended exhale. These techniques support the parasympathetic nervous system, focused attention and quieten the mind. This in turn reduces stress and anxiety improving your general well- being.

I have always exercised in one form or another but before I started doing yoga, my breathing was very shallow. We are so accustomed to breathing this way that we don't even realise the ticking heath time bomb. Normal breathing is meant to be deeper than an average person breathes. In yoga the practice of Prayanama which means `to expand the important life force' is what I would encourage beginners to start with, guided by a teacher who knows what they are doing. This is because you may hurt yourself starting at a deep end when your body is not accustomed to it.

Yoga is a stretching, flexibility and body balance Exercise

Every morning after a shower, except weekends; I encourage my body to take part in stretching exercises to awaken my working systems. You are probably thinking that you can just as well do normal stretches and you will be okay. But there is a difference with yoga stretching; because it is accompanied with breathing, you are kept in the moment paying attention to your body's needs. With each stretch comes awareness of what that part of the body needs. You are constantly in touch with how you are feeling; you are meditating without intent.

The stretches also tend to be deeper as you are working to the rhythm of your breathing. It doesn't matter whether you are doing a hard fast yoga practice or a slow one; breathing is a huge part that keeps you present to what you are being.
With stretching comes flexibility and with some postures specifically for balance, you get a lot just from practising yoga as an exercise.

Yoga enhances a state of gratitude

We all know now that a huge part of yoga is learning how to breathe and proper breathing makes the mind calmer. A calmer mind has clarity to view different aspects of life from a higher perspective. It is from this high perspective that we achieve gratitude as our vibrations are raised by a clear mind.

Yoga for Exercise

Yoga can be challenging as an exercise when you first start but the rewards are worth sticking at it. I normally attend a yoga practice once a week on Monday evenings at a studio with a qualified teacher and I do my own practice for the rest of the week. I would encourage everyone to attend a yoga studio at least once a week. The reason is that if left to our own devices, we get into bad posture habits and we eventually hurt ourselves.
If I am tired, yoga is the only exercise that not only allows my body to exercise as there are different levels of intensity but it also relaxes my tired body. For example, this Monday I was so tired and felt like I didn't want to go to the studio. But deep down I knew I had to go, as the practiced progressed from slow to intense; my body was a spark of energy. I was sweating profusely wondering where that store of energy was earlier when I felt tired. The variations from intense to slow allowed my body to find the much needed reserves. And the calm meditation at the end boosted and recharged my mind.

Yoga for meditation

This is my favourite purely because after the stretching at different intensities, the body is so alive that you deep into a meditative state with ease. The difference with meditating without prior exercise is that it takes time to calm the mind chatter with breathing. And if you are tied, the mind will swirl you around out of focus for a long time. But after a physical yoga practice, you have been breathing deeply with the exercise, clearing the mind. So when you start to mediate at the end, it comes with ease.

If you have read this far, I am grateful you took an interest in the subject and I would really encourage you to add yoga to your exercise schedule. I take part in other exercises weekly; cycling at home and running but I find that yoga tops them all, in the all round wellbeing category. Don't get put off if you can't find a teacher that resonates with you at first. Stick with it, you will soon find one.

I f you are inspired today, please share, upvote and forward the message to someone you know might need it.

I love all!

These are the online teachers I would recommend while you are still looking:
http://www.yogabody.com – Great resource with a podcast
https://www.youtube.com/user/yogawithadriene - She is great, especially for home practice and beginners
Namaste!