Physical and Mental Benefits of a Yoga Practice.

Now that I am nearing 3 years of practicing Yoga,  there is no doubt that this practice has provided me with many benefits and will continue to do so as long as I continue to practice. 


From the physical side,  hundreds of practice sessions have slowly increased my flexibility, my strength and my stamina.   I am able to get deep into poses I never thought was possible to even contemplate doing  and hold them for longer than I could ever imagine.    It has been a slow transgression and milestones  sometimes happened after months of practice.  The effect, however,  makes all those hours worth it.    I think back to when I started where I could not even touch the tops of my feet and now, on a good day,  I can flatten my hands on the floor with my knees unbent.    I do not have to worry about each sneeze and whether it will pull out my back.  Physically,  I am a different person.

On the non-physical side,   Yoga has allowed me to think about how to control the points in life where I become unsettled or frustrated.    The focus on your breath in Yoga  (where each pose in a non-Yin practice is based upon the inhale or exhale of breath)  has taught me to use this breath to maintain composure in situations where I would  have not handled well in the past.  For example, driving to and from work has been much less stressful because I have learned to stop and concentrate on my breath when I catch a light or someone in front of me is driving too slow.    Additionally,  because of the time I spend in practice , where my mind is cleared of life thoughts by focusing on my asanas and breath for at least an hour a day ,  I feel much more calm and centered.    It is a hard feeling to describe.

If you think about what you have in life,   stress is probably the most influential factor in unhappiness.  Worries over money,  children,  marriage, parents etc.  bring a level of stress that takes away from our happiness.   Yoga has taught me to turn off thoughts in my head for short periods so that I can clear it.  It has taught me to use my breath to bring myself back into focus and to calm myself.   It has not eliminated stress in my life,  but it has helped reduce it.  

Yoga is good for both the mind and body.





Namaste.