Yoga

A few years ago, I went to a yoga class offered through my university campus.

I had never done yoga before, and I thought it would be some super easy relaxing stuff, and I was even a little afraid the class would not be challenging enough for me (yes I really thought that). HAHA. HAHA.

After one hour of yoga, I had more sweat on my face than if I had ran a 10K. Unless you are a gymnast, yoga IS challenging. 

It will make you sweat. A lot. It will make you cringe and wish you had never gone to the class. You will probably feel intense frustration because the 60 year old lady in front of you is more flexible than you. And can plank longer as well. 

I recently downloaded a yoga application on my tablet (best Christmas present EVER) and am trying to do ten minutes of yoga everyday. When the ymca or college gym will reopen after the holidays, I will try to attend yoga classes weekly. 

Here agree 5 reasons why yoga must be a part of your new healthy lifestyle: 

1) it is good for your body. Research proves it too! It can help with many conditions from migraines, blood pressure issues, fatigue,  to heart diseases, diabetes etc. 

There are actually 'routines' and postures that are specifically aimed for different health problems, such as back problems, headaches, painful periods (the list goes on and on.)

How can a few 'stretch moves' and planks better my health you might ask? 

Once again, I am no doctor but a business major (which means my knowledge of science is pretty much nonexistent), but yoga regulates the endocrine system (system of glands who regulates the body). By doing that things like the immune system, metabolism and healing processes are boosted and/or balanced. And yes I had to look up what the endocrine system was on Google. :-) 

2) it can help lose or maintain weight.

Research (see links at the end) also proves it. 

Because practicing yoga helps regulate hormones, it can prevent cravings. Also, unlike running or other cardio exercises, it might not make you as hungry. I am not saying cardio is bad for you, I love running and I plan on continuing running. However, keep in mind that yoga (especially when it involves keeping positions for an extended period of time) WILL make you burn calories as well. 

3) It can improve performance. Why do runners usually do yoga as well? Simple reason: because yoga improves flexibility and strength, but also stamina, which you need if you are a runner. Even if you are no athlete (like me), doing yoga with another sport can be very beneficial. 

4) it helps you feel better. Again, an Harvard study (see link for details) shows that practicing yoga increases the neurotransmitter GABA, which lowers anxiety. Anatomy details aside, doing yoga forces you to breath better, make slow movements and concentrate on something else than your stressful life for a few minutes. 

Even 10 minutes of holding positions can be a great start to the day. 

Also, I have personally found that yoga helps me be more patient (because you don't become a yogi in one day) and humble. It puts things in perspective. 

5)  it is fun! It really is guys! I won't go into details because I am no expert, but there are different types of yoga, more or less intense. I even went to a yoga class one day where christian music was played as we did our positions and then we all prayed at the end (that was at the y). It was really neat. 

I also went to awful yoga classes, where the teachers were way too proud or not experimented enough. So it might take a few trials to find the perfect class but hang on, you will find it. Also don't be afraid of asking the teacher questions and make sure you are executing the positions correctly. 

Here is the link I got some of my research from, it is a really good  and funny article: 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sadie-nardini/top-10-reasons-not-to-do_b_260935.html