5 Reasons Why I Love Yoga

The beginning of my yoga practice

It seems like lately, everyone has experienced yoga in some form or another– whether they’ve practiced it frequently, taken a class at a winery, yoga-ed with baby goats or popped in a DVD. In doing a little research, the internet suggests that nearly 20 million people in the U.S. practice yoga (data as of 2011) and I’m sure that number has continued to grow.

As someone who has watched yoga’s boom, I’ve often craved the benefits that so many people have flaunted– increased flexibility, toned body and a more peaceful mind. Yet, for many years, I just couldn’t get into yoga. It’s not for lack of trying. I did try it, several times. I tried the in-home DVD, I tried the local class, I tried the apps, I even checked out YouTube. But time after time, it just didn’t seem right for me.

Yet the more I tried and said no, the more I wanted to figure out what all the hype was about. Then came along, Cody, my now husband, who was kind of a gym rat, but also raved about his yoga practice. In fact, when we first started dating, he was even considering becoming a yogi (yoga instructor). Here I was again, hearing all the hype and wondering ‘why can’t I love yoga like everyone else?’

One day, Cody finally convinced me to come to class with him. It was a Sunday morning and he promised me I would like it. I got dressed, dug out my mat and hoped he was right. I’m open-minded, but I was still skeptical. I tried not to let past experiences hinder the present.

In the past, for me, yoga was slow. I was told to leave my ever-racing thoughts outside. It was always in dark rooms with low-talking guidance of placing my foot intentionally here or there. We would practice lying on a mat and breathing deeply while the person next to me vocalized every breath. I couldn’t relax and the poses were doing nothing for me. And honestly, the lady on the mat next to me was distracting me with her heavy breaths.

Cody assured me the class he attended was not like this. He insisted it was a good workout with constant movement and rarely any heavy-breathers. We drove together to the gym and I hoped for the best.

Well, based on the title of this article, I hope you’ve figured out by now that I found a yoga practice that I love and I’ve stuck with it for about four months now. Cody was right. The style of yoga he introduced me to, Vinyasa Yoga, was exactly the practice I was looking for. In Vinyasa you connect one breath to one movement and you move or flow from one pose to the next. The class isn’t slow, I’m able to focus in the present, my movements are intentional and the people in class usually don’t breathe too loudly.

Reasons why I love yoga

Since I’m now pro-yoga, I’d like to give you some reasons why I love it.

Setting intentions

Each class begins with a guided meditation where we are asked to set an intention for our practice that day. It’s a private thought that you don’t share aloud, but something rather that guides you through the rest of the class.  I love the idea of setting an intention and really try to strive for it in my daily life now, too.

Some days, I like to focus on my strength, knowing that I’m going to be working major muscle groups in class and realizing that I am strong enough to conquer each move. Other days, I need to work on being present and finding the inner discipline to keep my thoughts on yoga and not what’s going on at work or what needs to be done at home. No matter the intention you set, it’s something to ground you back to the moment and back to class so that you can focus on building yourself physically, mentally and spiritually.

Conquering weakness

I’ve never considered myself to be physically strong. Mentally, yes. Well, for the most part. But physically, I usually feel like I should be able to lift heavier things and do more push ups and actually be able to do a pull up. I think a lot of gym practices focus so much on strength in terms how much you can press or how many reps you can do. The challenge for most of us, though, is not always physical.

Yoga has taught me that I’m much stronger than I think and usually the mind will tell you “I can’t” before our body is ready to. My favorite encouragement from yoga has really been to keep going when my mind says to stop. Not in a way that I can hurt myself, but more so in areas where I just believe I can’t do something without even trying. By pushing yourself a little bit further, you can conquer weakness.

Connecting breath with movement

I think we often take for granted that our bodies keep breathing. It’s automatic, something that is self-regulated beyond our control. Except when we consciously think about our breath and then we can use our breath to refocus our minds and bodies. With other workouts, especially high intensity workouts, our breaths naturally quicken with our increasing heart rate. But when we’re doing certain movements, especially those that involve working major muscle groups, our breaths are so important to get oxygen-rich blood to those muscles.

In yoga, you are asked to be very mindful of your breathing to connect your breath with each movement. On certain moves you are instructed to inhale and then move again with the exhale. You don’t think it makes much of a difference until you realize how important breathing can be when exercising!

Forming a community

Yoga isn’t a high-intensity dance class where you’re shouting encouragements to your workout mates or high-fiving classmates at the end. But there is a certain intimacy in sharing your practice with others. In my yoga class, everyone is at a different level, so it’s very important not to compare yourself to others. At the same time, whether you’re advanced or beginner, you are all working toward the common goals mentioned above. You may not have the same exact intentions, but you are all working to keep your intention in mind. You are all conquering weaknesses and connecting breath with movement. For these reasons, yoga is bringing together different practitioners at a higher level.

Finding mindfulness

I’m not someone who is good at shutting my mind off. I have to write things down, otherwise my mind wanders aimlessly thinking of everything I need to do. So practicing yoga for an hour can be difficult when you need to turn your mind off and meditate.

In class, meditation is often guided so that you learn how to shut down the thoughts you can’t control. Although it takes practice, being grounded in the moment is really important to your mental, emotional and spiritual well-being. Yoga is one way that seems to help find mindfulness in a world filled with so many fleeting thoughts.

Final Thoughts

My yoga practice has just begun, but I’m already seeing the benefits. I love the idea of finding the connection between my physical, mental and spiritual well-being. Remember, yoga is a practice which means you build strength and flexibility on an ongoing basis. I’m excited to continue my journey with a yoga routine to see even more benefits.

Do you practice yoga? What are some things you love about yoga? I’d love to know in the comments below.