I have never been the most flexible or the strongest person. I have seen these extraordinary yoga poses and thought it would be impossible to achieve. Most of which I still haven’t. However, one huge thing I’ve learned is that it doesn’t matter your ability level. Yoga really is for everyone. It’s for you no matter your size, no matter your circumstance, no matter your ability.
When I started yoga, I was pregnant with my first child. I mean, I had participated in a random youth class or something here or there. However, I had never seriously done it or consistently done it. If you only work out one time, you aren’t going to see any benefits or value in it. I had been pretty consistent with running while I was pregnant up until I was 7-8 months pregnant. At this point it became uncomfortable enough that I knew I wouldn’t be able to continue. When speaking to my midwife she suggested doing some maternity yoga. I looked up a 30-minute video on YouTube that I felt still made me feel like I was working hard. The thing that shocked me the most is how good I felt even after a couple of weeks. 9 months pregnant I was bending over and touching my toes. I hadn’t had the flexibility to touch my toes my whole life. Like I said, never been that flexible.
Yoga is so versatile, there is so many different ways to accomplish it. You can find something for every level of ability. Everyone that continues to do yoga on a regular basis will not be able to deny the benefits that they will feel. For me, one of those was also a peace of mind. We all know that yoga can make you stronger and more flexible. However, the peace that yoga can give is amazing. I think part of it is because of the quiet exercise with a huge importance in breathing. There have been so much written about how the right kind of breathing and what it can do for you. I feel like you are triggering your muscles and simultaneously breathing out the tension and stress in your body. It’s so regenerating, something that everyone can experience and benefit for themselves.
If you have been considering trying yoga, I think that it’s not that surprising that I’m going to say you really should. If you are doing yoga currently, let me know what your favorite thing about yoga is.
Mel's Health and Fitness 