Hey Everybody! How are you doing? This is Karen from Wellness Works NW. Do you feel that burst of energy? They tell me that a lot of times, when your energy level is low, you wonder how to bring this back up again. They say that Yoga is very good for this. September is National Yoga Month.
The misconception about Yoga is that it is just one thing. But it can be different for everybody because there are different kinds of Yoga. I only know this because I talk to my friend, Desiree Ouellette, who is a E-RYT 500, who has trained all over, including India. I tend to be a little spastic and I didn’t think yoga would be something I could do, but she told me it depends more on how you choose to study yoga. If you choose to do Buti Yoga, it more intentional to work up a sweat and work on your core. We do poses that really ignite the core and it is more exciting than some forms of Yoga.
Yoga is a group of physical, mental and spiritual practices. So you are trying to get that mind to body connection, dig it. So you know why you are doing what you are doing. You are intentionally saying, “I want to practice yoga.” Your breathing has to be right for you and your body will tell you where to go. It is not for everyone. But it is a great way to build your stability and flexibility and all the while you are working on your breathing and digestion.
I want to encourage you to try out a class and see what you think. If it is a Buti yoga class you are probably going to get a strenuous workout. You will be surprised. Try yoga out. it is a great form of exercise.
A lot times when you hear about yoga you hear about the Lotus Flower. This is a flower that grows under the ground and suddenly it springs to life. Sometimes you need to be like that. Take your time and think about what you need to accomplish. Keep it easy. I know you are sitting there thinking, “Do I really want to do this?” And you do.
In a standing position bring your arms out to the side wide and breathe in deeply through your nose and then breathe out with your mouth. You might be having all kinds of thoughts, but yoga is about not thinking. This is a tough thing for me but you just need to clear your mind and breathe in slowly and out slowly. Move your body as well as you can move. If you are not very flexible, don’t worry, you can do the best you can and you will get better.
What I am going to do now is a few poses:
We will start with the Warrior. Bring your right food forward and your arms up in the air while arching your back. Breathe in slowly. Then bring your weight and arms forward as if you are holding a ball, while breathing out. Now if I was more flexible my Warrior pose would look different, but because I am not, this is what mine looks like. Then go back to your original pose and then put your left foot forward and repeat. So with this pose I am working on my flexibility, stability and my strength and hopefully my mind, all at once. And I think this is fun.
Next we will try the Devotional pose. You start out the same as with the Warrior pose, right foot forward, arms up and back, breathe in very deeply, then bring your arms forward and down and back behind your back, clasp them together and then bow down while exhaling. Take your time. You feel that stretch in the back of your thigh? Then take a deep breath and bring your arms back up and forward and then back so that you are in the starting position and exhale.
The good things about yoga is when you are taking your time and really practicing it feels a bit like floating.
Now you can also use a ball to hold your body weight. Just sit on the ball. Breathe in deeply, bring your hands out to the side and back and then exhale. Then walk your feet forward so that your back is on the ball and bring your arms up and back and inhale, then exhale as you come back up. The goal is to relax. Watch your breathing. There are tons of books on yoga too.
Try something new. Try something different. Be like the Lotus Flower, boom! And bloom.
I am sending you positive prayers and vibes!
#KeepMoving #WellnessWorks #WootWoot
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Karen G. Clemenson is not a doctor or a scientist. She is a real person that eats too much sometimes and misses her workout on occasion but is mindful of her path toward wellness, all the time.
Karen understands that your physical wellness does not begin and end with your membership to a local gym. She knows that weight loss management begins with steps; some small and some large. These steps include diet, physical activity and retraining of the thoughts and habits that keep you from being successful on your path toward wellness.
