I'm going to answer some questions that may have come up about yoga!
Why Yoga?
Why Not Yoga? Yoga can have a very calming affect to you. It can strengthen your body, and is a low impact exercise.
The word 'Yoga' is derived from the Sanskrit root 'Yuj', meaning 'to join' or 'to yoke' or 'to unite'. As per Yogic scriptures the practice of Yoga leads to the union of individual consciousness with that of the Universal Consciousness, indicating a perfect harmony between the mind and body, man & nature.
Yoga is about connecting to your body, listening to it and join your mind, body and spirit.
Why Should I start yoga as a 40 Year old male?
Again, why not? Have you ever wanted to have just a little more calm in your life? Do you find yourself stressing out over things you can't control? Do you need a few minutes of quiet to relax after your day at work?
You can never be too old or too young to start a personal yoga practice. My 3 year old daughter already loves and does yoga. My 5 year old and my 7 year old join me on occasion. I will be getting my 13 year old to join me this fall as he starts his football journey and feel like it would help him with some aspects of football.
I'm not flexible, Can I do yoga?
Believe it or not Yoga is not about flexibility! Yoga is about the stillness and the quiet of the pose, the transition into the next pose,
Starting where you are at, and not just jumping from one pose to the next, over extending yourself just to try to get your body into Eagle or Crow pose!'
If you feel like you are not flexible then why not try yoga to increase your flexibility if that is a goal of yours. When I started to yoga, I couldn't touch my toes, My belly was in the way and didn't know the proper way to bend at the waist to truly get the long extension of the back to touch my toes.
I now can touch my toes with ease after a few years of regular personal practice! My belly still gets in the way but I bend properly at the waist and I never gave up because I couldn't do it.
Start where you are and make progress!
Isn't yoga just Stretching?
Yes yoga has elements of stretching but that is not the only aspect of yoga. Yoga is about the joining of the mind, body and spirit. Yoga is about holding a pose, transitioning to the next or going through a Vinyasa flow, clearing your mind and my favorite part, Savasana (corpse pose) where you get to just lie there and relax, breathe and meditate the last 10 minutes or so minutes of your practice.
I don't have time to do yoga I have 5 kids at home?
I used to think the same thing but you must take care of yourself first and then you will be a happier mom. If your kids see you taking time for yourself and doing yoga, meditating or working out you will model behavior that will help them in life. You must always prioritize your needs over your kids. I don't mean you have to abandon or neglect your kids, but you must set boundaries. And a yoga practice does not have to take 60-90 minutes. I often take 15 minutes and do 10 minutes of active poses and then 5 minutes of Savasana. There are so many Youtube videos or apps that have short yoga routines.
My Kids are always around, how can i do yoga?
Include them in your routine. Many times I'll start my routine while the kids are still sleeping and then one by one they'd wake up and come lay down next to me as I do my yoga, sometimes on top of me even. I adapt and tickle and kiss them as I move my way to down dog. I also invite my 3 year old to sit on my back while in child's pose to get just a bit of a deeper stretch. She loves sitting on me and and being apart of what I am doing and I get a little hands on adjustments from my 3 year old.
Invite them to join you. My children often join me in my routine. They love being with mom and being apart of what I am doing. Yoga has amazing benefits for children. Kids have so much pressure on them now a days that helping them to quiet their minds for a few minutes will help them adapt to the stresses of school, friends and sports. You could even find a kids yoga video on YouTube and do the video with them and be silly.
Isn't Yoga a Religion?
The short answer is no, however, there is a long history of the origins of yoga. Yoga Asanas (poses) are not very old and yoga before that was more of chanting, mantras and philosophy. (that might be another blog post altogether. )
Yoga is a practice that can help you join your mind, body and spirit together. to help you stay calmer in stressful situations, to be more in tune with your body and work out our body.
I hope I was able to answer some of your questions that you may have come up about yoga! If you have anymore please comment and will answer more of your questions.
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