Yoga Benefits

I’ve always been a fan of yoga and have been in practice off and on for a number of years now, and by no means am I an expert in yoga, but I thoroughly enjoy it.  Yoga has so many benefits for runners and non runners alike.  I’m sure you’ve heard it before but I’m going to go tell you the benefits you can gain from yoga and what I have personally gained from my practice.

Some of the countless benefits include an increase in flexibility, stress reduction, increase in  awareness and concentration, injury prevention, it teaches you how to use your breath properly, increases balance, stability, strength, and stamina.  Additionally, yoga can help decrease a variety of health concerns including high blood pressure, arthritis, back pain (if done properly), and mental health.  I am not a doctor or a certified yoga instructor, but I have read time and time again these benefits in articles written by professionals.  My own personal benefits that I have gained include creating calmness, increase in flexibility, stress reduction, discipline, and as many of you know, my balance and strength in my recovery from my stroke has been the largest benefit for me this past year.

Best of all you can always do yoga with your kids!  Chloe has been doing downward dog with me since she was 8 months old.  She loves doing yoga poses with mommy and it’s a great way to engage with your kids and be active at the same time.

I hear over and over again from some of my friends that they are afraid to try yoga, that they are “too clumsy” or “I can’t balance!”  While it can look intimidating when you see all those “perfect” yoga poses by those who teach and/or practice it everyday, but in reality, even those that teach do not always do it perfectly every time.  Even our teachers are still learning too, as many of us continue to do in any of our professions.  Yoga is such a great exercise and practice because, like running, you go at your own pace, you go as far as you can go, and you get stronger overtime!  So who cares if you hold a tree pose for 3 seconds...you still held it for 3 seconds!

My advice to those who are interested in learning more about yoga is to try a class; look at your gym and your community.  Find the right type of class that suits you...I tend to go to mixed level classes as I can make the class fit me and others around me do the same for them.  In our community we have many free yoga events.  My favorites are with Mikki Trowbridge and her Beer and Yoga events.  I go to her community classes when I can and I LOVE it when she holds events at vineyards in our local area.  This week I attended her class at Eola Hills Legacy Estate Vineyard and it was gorgeous out; the perfect setting for a yoga class.  I find added benefits as they are generally in nature (during the spring/summer months) and it's a new community to bond with and enrich your soul.  My next endeavor in yoga is to try Mikki's SUP Yoga on the water! So get out there and try something new in the yoga world and see how it can benefit you and your health! Namaste.