In honor of September being Yoga Awareness month, I thought we could chat a bit about yoga, perhaps pique your interest in giving it a shot. I am by no means an expert so this is from a bit of a novice view, but one that I think many of us may be coming from in some shape or form when it comes to yoga.
First, what is yoga? Yoga uses breathing techniques, exercise, and meditation to help relieve stress, increase our flexibility, reduce pain, and help bring us to a state of calmness. It’s all about doing what we can when we can. While striving to progress our fluidity and ease with the practice is beneficial, it’s not about pushing ourselves past our limits.
Meditation and mindfulness is often is talked about with yoga. Meditation includes contemplation and visualization while mindfulness is where we bring our full mind to an object. Being mindful of our breath, for example, is a common form of mindfulness during meditation. Following our breath improves our awareness of being in the present. Distinctions are often blurred; I like to think of yoga, mindfulness and meditation as part of the same bucket of healthy options, each with their own distinct focuses but also all that blend well with each other.
But wait… I have NO energy… How am I going to practice yoga? That’s the beauty of yoga. While there are some very strenuous versions of yoga, there are also very light forms of yoga, including chair yoga. There’s also yoga sessions that can help our problem areas, such as those we’ve acquired from being limited to a more sedentary way of life. Personally, I have found the low back stretching sessions to be particularly helpful after a long day on the couch or in bed. It’s light, low-energy, and reduces my back aches and pain often in just a quick 10 minutes.
So, in answering the question is yoga for everyone – like anything else in life, it’s certainly an each to their own. Based on my experience though, I recommend giving it a shot if physical limitations allow for it. I will be the first to admit that I originally scoffed at the idea of any of this before I got sick. For me it was sweaty hardcore workouts or nothing. Then I got sick and turned to yoga not only to fill the void but also for therapeutic reasons. I found it was fabulous for both. It brought a calmness and peacefulness to my life I hadn’t known and that I could instantly self-create no matter the moment while at the same time bring about a reduction of pain through the gentle stretching out my tight, cramped muscles.
So, if you are considering it, I encourage you to give it a shot. There are a lot of options out there. Sometimes it takes time to find the right activity level, with the right instructor, but once you do, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
Namaste~
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