For the past couple months I’ve been doing Yoga. The first time I tried this exercise, I immediately fell in love with it. I didn’t know much about Yoga, and I must say I had some preconceived notions about it… It appeared slow, not very difficult, and almost questionable as a work out. However, I quickly learned I was very, very wrong. The “slow” moves, or held positions, focus on certain muscle groups, so you can feel the exercise working. I would definitely not call Yoga easy. Initially, there were certain things I completely couldn’t even do. After a few weeks though, I began noticeably improving, which was really rewarding. You may be wondering why I’m talking about Yoga instead of trench coats or espadrilles, but remember, sophisticated style isn’t just about the clothes, but how you feel in them.    

Yoga is unique, and it’s different than any exercise I’ve done before because it is relaxing and challenging at the same time. You definitely feel like you’re getting a work out (and you will be sore the next day the first time you do it!), but the concentration on deep breathing, stretching, balancing, and centering, makes the exercise calming and fulfilling. It’s actually hard for me to explain how Yoga makes you feel because I have nothing to compare it to. No other exercise achieves such a level of mental or spiritual and physical satisfaction. It is energizing and fun, and you’ll start feeling and noticing a change, not only physically, but also in the way you feel, pretty fast. After just a couple weeks, I felt stronger and healthier. Yoga makes you aware of muscles you may have never realized you had! After noticing how wonderful Yoga made me feel, I decided to research the actual benefits it provides. I had often heard how healthy Yoga was supposed to be, but I never realized to what extent. Below are the main points as outlined by healthandyoga.com:

-Increasing Flexibility – Yoga has positions that act upon the various joints of the body including those joints that are never really on the ‘radar screen’ let alone exercised.     

-Increasing lubrication of the joints, ligaments and tendons – likewise, the well-researched Yoga positions exercise the different tendons and ligaments of the body. Surprisingly it has been found that the body which may have been quite rigid starts experiencing a remarkable flexibility in even those parts which have not been consciously worked upon. Why? It is here that the remarkable research behind Yoga positions proves its mettle. Seemingly unrelated “non strenuous” Yoga positions act upon certain parts of the body in an interrelated manner. When done together, they work in harmony to create a situation where flexibility is attained relatively easily.

-Massaging of ALL Organs of the Body – Yoga is perhaps the only form of activity which massages all the internal glands and organs of the body in a thorough manner, including those that hardly get externally stimulated during our entire lifetime. Yoga acts in a wholesome manner on the various body parts. This stimulation and massage of the organs in turn benefits us by keeping away disease and providing a forewarning at the first possible instance of a likely onset of disease or disorder. 

-Awareness – One of the far-reaching benefits of Yoga is the uncanny sense of awareness that it develops in the practitioner of an impending health disorder or infection. This in turn enables the person to take pre-emptive corrective action.

-Complete Detoxification – By gently stretching muscles and joints as well as massaging the various organs, Yoga ensures the optimum blood supply to various parts of the body. This helps in the flushing out of toxins from every nook and cranny as well as providing nourishment up to the last point. This leads to benefits such as delayed ageing, energy, and a remarkable zest for life.

-Excellent toning of the muscles – Muscles that have become flaccid, weak or slothy are stimulated repeatedly to shed excess flab and flaccidity.

-Meditation – The meditative practices through Yoga help in achieving an emotional balance through detachment. What it means is that meditation creates conditions, where you are not affected by the happenings around you. This in turn creates a remarkable calmness and a positive outlook, which also has tremendous benefits on the physical health of the body.

            I’m so glad I decided to try Yoga. I’ve always enjoyed keeping a consistent work out schedule, and I seem to have always known, subconsciously, how important stretching is, but Yoga brings something new and refreshing to my schedule. Since I’ve always worked out and stretched, I was able to begin at a slightly intermediate level, however, I would recommend Yoga to anyone. There are beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels to Yoga, and no matter where you start, I’m sure you’ll notice the effects soon after. If you can’t join a class, or don’t want to start in a class setting, I would suggest trying an exercise DVD, such as Denise Austin’s. So, if you’re interested in beginning a new work out, try discovering Yoga. I bet you’ll be glad you did!

-Style Sophisticate