Namaste my dear friend,
Today I honor you for being someone in my life.
Thank you for showing up to read my communications every month.
I've been feeling very reflective the last few months trying to figure a lot of things out like I'm sure so many of you are doing right now as well. I'm not living in NYC anymore (for now) but life has not slowed down for me at all. So, I have had to force myself to slow down.
Anyone relate to this right now?!
I have been doing yoga for about 16 years now. I got certified to teach yoga back in 2017 and to go through that amazing experience made me feel completely at home but I put it on hold when I moved to NYC because my career and lifestyle kept me so busy. However, I have felt the pull of my passion calling me to the mat to teach me to slow down and practice.
Some days I have wondered what my life would look like without yoga.
Because my life looks so different these days I began a new journey where I feel at home again.
This last weekend I began... finding my h(om)e... Om - get it?
I am taking the next level yoga teacher training with some yoga teachers out of New York that I just adore. I feel so honored and blessed to have this experience. Most importantly, I'm finding a deeper side of myself. Discovering new levels of my strength, my self-love, my self-determination, and calm within myself.
Have you ever tried yoga?
If you have, is it something you do consistently?
Did you find it too difficult?
Or have you decided you won't even try because you aren't super bendy and flexible? Or that yoga is just a women's "workout"?
Yoga is so much more than just a workout!
And I assure you, yoga is for every BODY!
Yoga also has a TON of benefits!
#1 Yoga can activate the Parasympathetic Nervous System. Folks this is the part of the nervous system that is known as the "rest and digest". Yoga can be calming and restorative... and yes, can actually help you digest.
#2 Yoga increases your awareness and mindfulness in your body. Have you noticed there are days when you forget if you've even breathed that day? Let alone paused to breathe deep in your belly. Yoga conditions you to become more mindful. More mindfulness = happier life!
#3 Yoga tones, strengthens and elongates your body. With a steady practice, you find that your muscles tone, get stronger, and get long and lean.
#4 Yoga slows down your brainwaves and allows you to enter into meditative states; especially through meditation and pranayama (breathing exercises). Yes, yoga is more than just the asanas (poses).
#5 Yoga decreases anxiety e.g. like #1. When you are tuned into and practice turning on your Parasympathetic Nervous System, it becomes a new state of being after a while. You find you are able to adjust your reactions to the ebb and flows of life and thus have less anxiety. Usually, anxiety comes from fear within ourselves but when we practice how to physiologically turn those fears away, it can become second nature to do so.
#6 Yoga improves memory. Yoga requires the activation of your brain as you move through the poses, as you sit in meditation, as you feel your body becoming more aligned. When you use your brain = you don't lose your brain!
#7 Yoga is good cardio! If you are more into cardio and less into the slow groove, there is yoga for you too! Try taking a Yoga Sweat class and you'll see what I mean! :)
#8 Yoga improves your overall well-being.
Are you interested in knowing ways you could get started? Below are some recommendations to try!
#1 Check out YouTube - there are sooo many yoga classes to choose from and of course, they are FREE. I find for beginners, Yoga With Adrienne is a great place to start.
#2 Online memberships such as Alomoves, Gaia, Wanderlust, etc. Each has their own styles and costs so get curious and find one that suits your style!
#3 Online Studios - with COVID, a lot of studios do Livestream and zoom classes these days. You can search around and find one that vibes with you. I am doing classes through Yoga Shanti out of New York. Rodney Yee has a great beginners class that I attend on Friday mornings.
#4 Check out local studios (if you live in a place where studios are open) and see what you think.
If after hearing about all these benefits of trying yoga and you've had your curiosity peaked, then here are some easy and cheap items I recommend to start to begin your own yoga journey; whatever that may look like for you.
If you'd like more information about starting your yoga journey, I'm here to help! Send me an email with any questions you may have at amber@feelgoodnourishment.com.
I’m beyond excited to begin this new journey of deepening my love of yoga and to share it with my clients to help them achieve their health and wellness goals!
In Health & Wellness,
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