5 Reasons My Goal for September Is To Practice More Yoga!

5 Reasons My Goal for September Is To Practice More Yoga!

by FitAmbitiousBlonde

Happy National Yoga Month to all my Yogis out there! Since we are celebrating all things yoga during the month of September, I thought this would be a perfect time to explore what this ancient practice is all about and how incorporating it into our lives can benefit us in a variety of ways. I had dabbled in yoga over the years and by dabbled I mean taken a class here and there mostly when a certain pushy friend of mine would bribe me with Starbucks if I got up at an ungodly hour on Sunday’s to attend a class with her. I neither loved it nor hated it but simply went because, well, it seemed like something I should at least try a handful of times before I wrote off completely. I will freely admit I went into those classes already having decided it wasn’t for me simply because I had this preconceived notion that it was a sleepy little practice that wouldn’t benefit my then goals of getting stronger and building more muscle. I went to the classes, made my friend happy, but never practiced it outside of those few select instances.

Fast forward to March of this year and the start of living the pandemic life and I decided to expand my horizons and give yoga another shot. I am not sure if it came about because I started sitting more, or if it was the amount I was running outside on hard pavement instead of on a treadmill that triggered this but I suddenly found myself with a significant amount of lower back pain. Not wanting to pop pain relievers like Tic Tac’s, I figured yoga could be a much healthier and more holistic approach to alleviating some of the pain and stiffness. I dove into a 3 Week Yoga Retreat (virtual) program and by the end of the 21 days, I was a believer. I felt more flexible, my back pain had diminished quite a bit and even more unexpectedly I actually felt calmer, more grounded and an increased connection to my body that I don’t believe I had ever experienced before. 

All those things shouldn’t really have been a surprise though because the very essence of yoga, which by the way goes back a whopping 5000 years, is the unification of the self, that is the connection of the mind, body, and emotions. Yoga really is a total body and mind practice and as I have found, if done with a little bit of consistency and dedication, can offer benefits that you may not even be aware you need. Keep reading for a few of the ways yoga has enriched my life:

5 Benefits of Yoga and the Poses You Can Use to Achieve Them

Amazing Stress and Anxiety Reliever

There is something very calming about focusing on only your breath and the present moment you are in. Yoga stresses the need to be connected to the here and now, not thinking about a hundred different things that either already happened or might happen. It is a practice centered around relaxation and re-connecting us to our bodies. Through the use of controlled breathing and gentle, targeted stretches, yoga has actually been shown to decrease the levels of cortisol in our bodies which is the hormone responsible for stress. Decreases in this hormone can help lessen or fight off anxiety and depression as well.

3 Poses for Stress and Anxiety Relief

  • Childs Pose
  • Half Moon Pose
  • Bridge Pose

A Natural Inflammation Fighter

This benefit is a big one for me as someone who was diagnosed with an inflammatory disease many years ago and has been fighting to keep it in remission ever since. Like I mentioned above, yoga is a wonderful and natural way to combat stress and studies have shown the more you practice yoga the lower your body’s inflammatory reaction to stress becomes. By combating how sedentary we have become, fighting that chronic stress we all find ourselves under (especially and particularly given the current situation we are living through) and helping to alleviate some of that constant tension we find ourselves living with, yoga along with an otherwise healthy lifestyle and diet can go along way in ridding our bodies of that oh so very damaging inflammation.

3 Poses to Fight Inflammation

  • Seated Side Bend
  • Warrior II Pose
  • Viparita Karani or in English, the Legs Up Against the Wall Pose

Great for Flexibility

Gaining more flexibility is something that I have wanted and frankly needed to focus on for a while now. I am not patient by nature so taking time to stretch each day is a struggle for me. Luckily one of the greatest benefits of practicing yoga regularly is greatly improved flexibility. One of the main goals of yoga is to increase range of motion in order to be able to move better while putting less stress on your joints. Less stress on your joints leads to a reduced risk of injury, less pressure, and pain especially in your back, shoulders, and neck region, and even better circulation. It also leads me to my next benefit which is improved posture.

3 Poses for Increased Flexibility

  • Cat-Cow Stretch
  • Triangle Pose
  • Downward Facing Dow

Improves Posture 

If you are anything like me and find yourself slouched over a computer screen for roughly eight hours a day getting a chance to work on your posture while reaping all the other benefits of regular yoga practice could not be more necessary. One of the major culprits that lead to poor posture is tight, stiff, and even weak muscles. Yoga gives you a chance to focus on properly aligning your body and lengthening back out your spine after being hunched over for most of the day. Many yoga poses are also very focused on strengthening your core which is another key component in having correct posture. Both your spine and your core work all day long to hold you upright so giving these areas a little bit of love and making sure they are strong and properly aligned is key.

3 Poses for Improved Posture

  • Hero Pose
  • Standing Forward Bend
  • Cobra Pose

Strength Builder

So my previous excuse for not doing more yoga more often because I wanted to focus on getting stronger was clearly misguided. The more yoga I have done, the more I realize there are definitely certain poses that have helped me get stronger. Ever tried the Chair Pose? Wow, does this move make my quads burn! Another one that comes to mind is the Drinking Bird pose. Another great move for leg strength, this one I feel the most in my calves. Another often overlooked benefit to yoga for strength training is it virtually hits all the muscles in your body in one workout whereas in traditional strength training you might only be focusing on your back or your arms for an entire workout. Yoga is an all-around strength builder and a great addition for anyone who is looking to build lean muscle!

3 Poses for Increased Strength

  • Tree Pose
  • Standing Split
  • Dolphin Pose

Whether you are looking to work on your flexibility and balance, tone up a bit or just find some stress and anxiety relief yoga is a great total body and mind workout you can do right from your living room. Along with the benefits I mentioned above, yoga has also been shown to reduce blood pressure, help manage diabetes, and can even help lower cholesterol and combat heart disease. It is a chance to get your body moving in a truly meaningful way while giving your mind a chance to slow down and enjoy being present in the moment. After all, your body thrives from movement and your mind from stillness. Yoga combines both these principles into one amazing workout that I highly recommend you give a go. Namaste my friends and Happy National Yoga Month!

xoxoxo,

Beth

47 thoughts on “5 Reasons My Goal for September Is To Practice More Yoga!”

  1. I believe that yoga will be key for me since I’ll be stepping on the field almost everyday for 1 or 2 games. I’ve not had that type of mileage on these legs since last fall. The down dog and cat cow are always part of my warmup.

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  2. Thank you for this excellent information. Having just turned 60 I have noticed new joint pains have been popping up. I have been looking for an alternative to my standard workout. I think I will give yoga a try. A virtual class sounds perfect. Take care.

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    2. I started doing a few yoga exercises, I began last winter and for sure it will help your joints, but don’t overdo it at first like I did and hurt my shoulder. Now I am much more supple. I find riding my bike help’s a lot as well. Good luck.

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  4. Noticed the bit about posture. I don’t really practice yoga myself but I’ve heard a lot of good things about it. The thing that’s appealing about yoga is that a lot of the techniques don’t always require rigourous warm-ups as there is for strength training. The bridges are something I’ve done in the past, the planks too, only one I’m doing at the moment. The only thing is, how long many reps? How long to hold? and how many sets (strength angle)? My legs get loads of exercise from walking and biking, my posture is getting a bit rubbish though due to core weakness and terrible sitting positions. The posture-focused poses should help rectify it all. Thanks for sharing this.

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  7. Thank you for reminding of the benefits of yoga. I’ve been worried that come winter I will not be able to exercise consistently but forgot about yoga. Like you were, I am not a great fan. Some of the poses are hard.

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  8. We had a Doctor on the TV who stated that a sign of good health is to be able to stand on one leg with your eyes closed for more than 8 seconds. I have no idea if this is true but I often practice balance poses with my eyes shut to compliment my running. What do you think?

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    1. That is tricky! One of the yoga programs I follow actually incorporates that into the session and it is always a challenge for me. I can do it for a few seconds normally before I tip over. Work in progress I guess! Thank you for stopping by! 🙂

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  9. Indeed. I truly appreciate your effort to propagate yoga in the fitness cultre. This is an Indian art form and now the world knows it because we’ve people like you. Am truly proud of you, and am truly proud ofmy country. I wish you good luck.

    From – Jeet Doshi
    Founder – A Fit Start

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  10. I thought yoga was kind of too hippie for me at first too but over the past few years I have really fallen in love with it. I spend most of my time on strength work so I need to get back into it but I try to do it every couple of weeks. Excited to try more of these poses. 🙂

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  11. Yoga has been a part of my life for years and it definitely has helped during these crazy times to keep me grounded and also just to fill some of the days. So glad you gave it another chance and are finding it beneficial 🙂

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  12. Yoga has been a game changer in my life, preventing injuries with post run stretches and providing strength, flexibility training while injured and not able to run. I have also experienced the mental, emotional, and physical benefits of a regular practice. I struggle with the consistency, though!

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    1. I still struggle with consistency as well but I find if I plan on doing it around the same time every day it is easier. I think I have almost made a habit of it now! It is so good for our bodies and minds it is definitely something I want to stick with. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂

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  22. I strongly believe in yoga .yoga takes our anxiety, depression away . In 2020 November ,I tried yoga for like 2 or 3 months and I was more clamer ever than I thought . And then I tried many physical activities as well. And now I walk regularly at afternoon for 1 hour .and this is also very very beneficial for me and for others as well.

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  23. Loving your blog. I am trying to be more consistent with my yoga practice because I agree with you there are so many benefits ….. maybe I will join a 3 week program and help make it a habit.

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