Why Not Trying Yoga?

Why Not Trying Yoga?

My mother would try to convince me into practicing yoga when I was a kid, but I would almost never listen. I thought it was boring, as would any other kid probably think. Instead, I got myself busy with other sports and trivial things. It wasn’t until I was eighteen years old that I realized that yoga was really beneficial for me, and I started practicing again. Unfortunately, my body was not on the same page as me; I had a hard time with flexibility and I was not completely fit anymore. It was a disappointment for myself, because when I actually wanted to do it, it was more difficult. By then, I was already having more responsibilities and even though I found it difficult, yoga was a good way to release daily stress. That is when I realized that it did not matter whether I was actually achieving total flexibility or managing to do all the poses, what mattered was that I was breathing constantly and being self-aware of what I was doing.  

Taken from, "From the Community: Yoga Equals Instant Stress Relief" http://www.popsugar.com/fitness/Why-Yoga-Good-Stress-Relief-19296077

Yoga has increased in popularity during the past few years; according to a Huffington Post posting that came out in 2013, more than 20 million Americans practiced yoga in the United States. It is most likely that not every one of those 20 million people are professional yogis, so it is another prove that yoga is definitely beneficial even for beginners. People do not have to become yogis in order to start seeing the benefits, one can just go to one or two classes and notice the difference. In a University of Illinois study, participants performed significantly better on tests of brain functioning after 20 minutes of yoga, as compared to their performance after 20 minutes of vigorous aerobic exercise. It is worth noticing that after just 20 minutes of yoga, participants’ abilities were improved. What would happen with someone who practices yoga three times a week?

Taken from YOGA BREEZE, http://yogabreeze.com

As a complimentary practice or as the core practice, yoga has been found to be beneficial for people with chronic health conditions like hypertension or diabetes. Another post in the Huffington Post exposed a study made in 2013 where people had been practicing yoga for 12 to 24 weeks; they explained that ,“A study presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hypertension shows that practicing yoga could help decrease blood pressure in people with mild to moderate hypertension.”

These are just two examples of how practicing yoga on a regular basis or simply taking one class can both be advantageous. It just depends whether one is looking for long term benefits or just boosting their minds before an exam. Nevertheless, it is now more understandable why people is practicing more and more this Eastern practice. The important thing to remember is that, there is not a perfect way to practice yoga; since it involves many different poses, doing the one that suits the individual is going to be the perfect way for them. Besides, it is important to know the basics of respiration and yoga in order to get the full benefits.

Taken from BALANCE FOR LIFE, http://balanceforlife.us/2015/03/yoga-benefits/

References:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/28/body-on-yoga_n_4109595.html

https://news.illinois.edu/blog/view/6367/204796

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/28/yoga-blood-pressure-hypertension_n_3294527.html

  

Together We Can Go Further

Together We Can Go Further

Patriots' Day Project: The Importance Of Community http://www.mghclaycenter.org/patriots-day-project/importance-community-connection/

Our ancestors probably knew this better than we do now. We are humans, and humans are social creatures, we need the company and support of our community or family in order to feel complete; and in case we are sick, in order to heal. Ancient tribes got this better than anyone; they included the whole community in their everyday lives and in their healing treatments, to have a sense of support and understanding from the people they trusted. Doctor James S. Gordon explains this in his book Manifesto for a New Medicine, “And the way this was done, and the way I’ve seen it still done in villages in the rain forest and among some of our North American Indians, is for people to get together and get honest with each other, in a safe place and in a special way.” (Gordon, p. 202). We can see that people used to get together and share with their communities in a special way that would be also part of the therapy in case they had any illness. What do we usually do now in cases like that? When someone is ill, we place them alone on a hospital bed or at their house and turn on the TV so that they have something to keep them company. We have all of our time filled with other things to do, that we are slowly losing the habit of being social, even with the people we care about.

It is hard to believe, but we can see it everyday in our own lives. A post in The New York Times by Michael Gonchar called "Does Technology Make Us More Alone?" posts this YouTube video that has already more than 15 million views. I believe it is interesting, and it makes us reflect on what we sometimes do not realize from our daily activities.

"I forgot my phone" on YouTube

As technology grows everyday, we seem to be immersed in more and more devices and seem to miss what is happening in the outside world. We deceive ourselves by thinking we are being social when we use social media like Facebook or Instagram; but the fact is, that these new technologies are just preventing us from stepping out and build real relationships. I am not denying that technology is a useful tool for communication and many other things. Nevertheless, if people rely on technology for everything, even for making friends and keeping company, we are going to live in a silent world soon enough. It is important for us to realize that building community and strong friendships within, is as crucial as eating breakfast every day. Harper Spero, a lifestyle management coach posted in the Huffington Post, “As we get older, we recognize the importance of having friends who are authentic and genuine - people who love, respect and support us.” We can have friends within our community or even in our families, but the truth is that we need to be able to care about people and let them care about us in order to be one more step forward towards happiness. Thereby, we not only need friends when we are ill, we need them all the time and they need us too. It is not important to have a lot of friends, the important part of it is to have quality amongst our friendships. Having a true friendship takes time and effort, and those are the ones that last and the ones that can help us go through the toughest times in our lives as well.      

References:

Gordon, J. S. Manifesto for a New Medicine. Your Guide to Healing Partnerships and the Wise Use of Alternative Therapies. (P. Books, Ed.) United States of America.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/harper-spero/the-importance-of-community_b_6978186.html