The practice of yoga isn’t just working out, meditating, or relaxing, it’s a philosophy. It’s the art of discovering to live with intention, self-compassion, and awareness to embrace a truly beautiful lifestyle physically, mentally, emotionally, energetically, and spiritually. We call it a “practice” because it will never truly be perfect. You don’t perform yoga for anyone or practice to please anyone else – the sole purpose is purely to nurture only yourself. We inhale the future and exhale the past to live in the present. Yoga is learning to fall in love with taking care of yourself – your mind, body, and soul.
Become Aware
So often we feel the need to be active in every situation. Yoga teaches us mindfulness and encourages a shift in roles – we get to become the observer. By practicing nonjudgmental awareness, we start to notice patterns and habits in our behavior or circumstances that keep us stuck in a state of discomfort. By learning to observe thoughts at a distance, you become in control of how you are affected by each experience. You get to decide how each moment makes you feel, why it happens, and how you will manage it.
Improve Memory
An interesting series of studies published in Science and the Journal of Neuroscience showed that exercise, and yoga in particular, can stimulate new brain cells. But there’s a catch. In order for the neurogenesis process to work, your mind and body have to be relieved of as much stress as possible. In an article with Yoga Journal, Dharma Singh Khalsa, MD, the author of Brain Longevity and the president and medical director of the Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation shares, “We took people with memory loss and prescribed 12 minutes of kirtan kriya (a type of meditation from the Kundalini yoga tradition) every day. After eight weeks, you can see on our scans that after the meditation, the blood flow to the frontal lobe—the area responsible for attention, concentration, and focus is improved.” Bottom line: yoga can enhance brain function by both improving circulation and reducing stress!
Radiate Beauty
There’s a reason that some of the most drop-dead and unfairly still-gorgeous celebrities like Reese Witherspoon, Julia Roberts, Jennifer Aniston, and Kate Hudson swear by yoga, and it’s not just for achieving their iconic rocking yogi bods. Check out my guest post for Elliven Spa on how yoga leads to glowing skin, a better night’s beauty sleep, and less wrinkles!
Secure a Postive Outlook
Your mood is everything. It mandates how productive you are and how you take on the day. Even the smallest tasks can seem impossible when you’re feeling off. A study from the Boston University School of Medicine and McLean Hospital reports in regular practicers, doing one hour of yoga helped raise levels of the neurotransmitters GABA in the brain (low levels are linked with depression). By stimulating the parasympathetic (rest and digest functions) nervous system, yoga helps guide your body into a state of safety and security by inhibiting the sympathetic nervous systems (fight-or-flight stress responses). So if you’re feeling salty, take a few moments in your favorite asanas and I promise it will turn your day around!
Reach for Sky-High Confidence
According to SELF, a study from the University of California in Berkeley finds women who regularly practiced yoga were 20 percent more satisfied with their bodies compared to those who did aerobics (both groups were at a healthy weight). Within a non-judgmental and non-competitive environment, yoga strengthens the connection between mind and body. We practice becoming in tune with how our body feels and what it needs rather than how it looks. Yoga trains us to find comfort and resilience in our own skin and appreciation for the work our body does for us each day.
Naturally Boost Energy
By awakening the nervous system and stimulating the circulatory system, yoga brings energy and life into the body while also clearing out any trapped negative energy. Yoga will always there for you and will leave you feeling calm, collected, and energized to take on the world!
