I have a lot of people ask me what I think about different types of selfcare. From acupuncture to stretching and everything in-between. Today I am going to give you my take on yoga.
Recently, I have had to open up my mind to yoga. In the past, my fitness was focused more on HIIT training and weight lifting. That gave me energy and I felt strong and confident after working out.
Circumstances in my life the past few years have caused my body to become stressed. This kind of exercise is not good for a stressed-out body. I had been given little hints by certain people to look into yoga. Professionals with expertise in self-care and clients that were already doing yoga. I brushed it off because it was too “slow”. That should have been my first hint. My muscles were sore, ALL THE TIME. Fatigue was taking over my life and work was a huge struggle after giving just one massage. I gained a ton of weight. After asking my naturopath if this exhaustion was normal for someone my age (43, I’m not shy) and she said absolutely not, I decided to go on one of my research binges. Find out the “why” so I could get to the “how”.
I began yoga. It was a trial and error of finding one that wasn’t too floo floo (technical term for too far out there) I stumbled across something called yoga/Pilates fusion. It focuses more on breathing and stretching and a little bit on core strength, depending on the instructor. Not intense and very grounding, while still strengthening the core. I couldn’t believe the difference after one Youtube video. I slept better, I became aware of my muscle clenching, I was calm and I had more energy. This is something that has to be done regularly because as humans, we regularly do things every day that can cause stress. Our society has become so unbelievably busy that we overload ourselves. I am amazed that people are still functioning, the way they do, if they aren’t doing some sort of self-care regularly.
Although there are other steps that need to be taken along the way and every person is different, yoga has played a huge part in getting back to a place where I feel the extreme workouts I used to do will someday soon be in my future. Along with regular days with yoga. Overall, I am definitely for yoga. You may have to do a little searching around to find the right fit for you but it is extremely healing for the mind, body, and soul.
Below are some links to a couple of favorites of mine that I found on Youtube. If you prefer the energy of people around you while you practice, find a local yoga studio. They will usually have a free first class to sign up for.
Email me! Allforyoumassage@gmail.com
Visit www.allforyoumassage.com for more information or to schedule online.
Youtube Links:
@kelseydeacon
@HannahUiri (trauma informed yoga)