Benefits of Yoga/ Why I started

a really short post about the benefits I get from yoga.

I mainly do two forms of yoga.

One is called vinyasa which is a fun and creative style that is rooted in linking breath and movement.

The other is a brutally difficult 90 minute sequence designed to be done in 105 degree heat with 40 percent humidity. It’s name, as I now call it, is 26&2 or Original Hot yoga, I’ll get into this topic on a future blog post! 

These are two very different forms of yoga but I find that they compliment each other well. I get better at each when I do the other. Though I must say the same applies to yoga and weightlifting, so this fact doesn’t speak to the compatibility of the styles. 

There are many styles of yoga. I don’t have any credentials that make me comfortable enough to give you a deep history or even description of the styles. But I do feel comfortable demonstrating some of my knowledge and personal experiences. 

Sometimes we are desensitized to what we know, and therefore only think of experts as worthy of informing or teaching. When in fact, you could teach people a variety of things you know. As long as there is an integrity and validity to what you’re teaching , I see no harm.

So yes, there are many styles of yoga, they’re not all the same but share a lot in common. Breath is a huge / the main focus of the practice.  

The practice has many layers to it. For this reason it’s easy for a casual practitioner of periphery observer could reduce such practices to fitness.

All forms of movement contain the capacity for mental stimulation. Yoga , I. My estimation is particular effective for a number of reasons. 

When I began doing yoga it was for several reasons.

The main reason was comedy. I observed someone like Jim Carey and saw that he was incredibly athletic. It doesn’t necessarily jump out as the first thing you think about, but the degree to which he is flexible and able to use his body as physical instrument, got my mind thinking about my body as a comedic tool.

I had already been working out pretty vigorously and was strong. My reasons for doing this were comedy as well, but I realized that I lacked balance and flexibility. Flexibility is the thing I noticed about the stunning feats of physical comedy Carrey effortless performed. 

Back to the layers of yoga. When I started doing it consistently for a long while, the practice became less about the physical components , and more about the mental benefits. I then learned that there were deep philosophical lessons within each pose. There was a thinking process I was tapping into. These poses were far more than holding shapes, or working on flexibility or balance.

Physical things are often representations of mental manifestations. We carry, hold and lock onto a lot of trauma and pain in the body. This causes problems and releasing this tension and stress through stretching and movement is incredibly beneficial . 

Also, it is no coincidence that the physical strengths I lacked were balance and flexibility. Because I lack balance and flexibility in my real life. I do not think this is a coincidence in anyway!