Becoming a Yogi

Chandi Schwab
A couple of years ago around the holidays I decided to finally go to a Yoga class with my mom after she had asked me a few times to go with her. I had no desire to try it it. It looked SO boring, and unproductive. After going to the class I had the exact same opinion. I couldn't hold the poses because my mind was wondering and my previous assumptions of it were confirmed. It was pretty darn boring. I even laughed to myself a few times at how serious everyone was in there.
You all know how much I like to run and be on the go. I can't sit still, it is SO hard for me. Through all of my marathon training I heard over and over again that implementing yoga would help lengthen my tight muscles and that it helps improve running in so many ways, So my good friend Julina let me borrow a couple of Yoga videos and I really intended to devote myself to them a couple times a week. Well it turned into a couple times period. Doing it from home was not happening.
This past 8 week challenge I put yoga as one of my weekly goals. I have been going to Yoga atleast once a week. The first week was okay. I still couldn't really get into it. These past few weeks I have seen a huge difference, and it feels so nice to stretch, lengthen, and relax my muscles for an entire hour. I definitely don't look as graceful as the girl pictured above, not even close, but maybe someday! I beat my muscles up so much that I think it has been a relief and breather for them:) I really encourage you all to try it. Here are some reasons why...


The potential health benefits of yoga are numerous and may include:

Stress reduction: With its quiet, precise movements, yoga draws your focus away from your busy, chaotic day and toward calm as you move your body through poses that require balance and concentration.
Increased fitness:As you learn and refine new poses, you may enjoy improved balance, flexibility, range of motion and strength. And this means you're less likely to injure yourself in other physical endeavors or in your daily activities.
Weight loss: If you're overweight or have binge-eating disorder, yoga may help you make the healthy lifestyle changes necessary to gain control of your eating and drop those extra pounds
Strength: Many yoga poses require you to support the weight of your own body in new ways, including balancing on one leg (such as in tree Pose) or supporting yourself with your arms (such as in Downward Dog). Some exercises require you to move slowly in and out of poses, which also increases strength.
Muscle tone: As a by-product of getting stronger, you can expect to see increased muscle tone. Yoga helps shape long, lean muscles.
Pain Prevention: Increased flexibility and strength can help prevent the causes of some types of back pain. Many people who suffer from back pain spend a lot of time sitting at a computer or driving a car.  Yoga also improves your alignment, both in and out of class, which helps prevent many other types of pain.
Better Breathing: Most of us breathe very shallowly into the lungs and don't give much thought to how we breathe. Yoga breathing exercises, focus the attention on the breath and teach us how to better use our lungs, which benefits the entire body.
Mental Calmness: Concentrating so intently on what your body is doing has the effect of bringing a calmness to the mind. Yoga also introduces you to meditation techniques, such as watching how you breathe and disengagement from your thoughts, which help calm the mind.

There are many more benefits, so don't be like me and wait forever to try it, and be sure to go at least for a month before you decide it isn't for you. Before I try any class I am So intimidated. but every time after I finally give it a try, no matter what the class is, I realize no one cares about what I look like or how I do. They all are focused on themselves. So find a Yoga class in your area and be sure to arrive 10 minutes or so early to introduce yourself to the instructor and get comfortable.  Good Luck!