6 Awesome Things About Yoga

I am a fitness fanatic and have from time to time practiced yoga, such as yoga at fitness first.

Before I begin to tell you all the wonderful things this art (yes it’s not just a form of exercise) has taught me. I would like to tell you what it truly is, the word “yoga” is derived from the Sanskrit word “yuj”, which means “to yoke” the spirit and physical body together. It is the perfect union of the mind, body and soul. It takes me within and makes me aware of myself and helps me make peace with my being along with giving me physical flexibility, energy and deep clam. Let me tell you the things to be learned from yoga.

A firm and healthy workout

Yoga is not purely a physical workout, but it will also help you shed pounds and be fitter. The speed at which you go from one asana (a pose) to another greatly determines how rigorous the workout is. How long you hold a particular stretch and how well you do it can push you to burn more calories.

Improve flexibility & posture.

The slow stretching has makes your body agile and so much more flexible. The asanas make you use muscles you haven’t used for a long time, and stretch them and use them to their utmost capacity. Yoga is all about the correct posture, sitting with your back straight is the core of learning this art, thereby improving posture tremendously.

Learn to love your body

Yoga makes you love yourself. The basis of yoga is balance- balance between your body and mind. As you sit in a pose you become aware of your body, and the amazing things your body can do. Our bodies are our temple, it’s the temple where our soul resides, so we must take care of it and maintain it for it to perform at its peak.

Silence and calm

You learn to hold your thoughts and to stay still, to just enjoy that moment. In our everyday crazy life we barely just sit. Yoga gives you a window to do that ‘sit still’, it can teach you the value of silence and give you immense peace.

The will to push myself

Yoga is a made up of poses and steps to be followed to get into the pose and get out of it. It’s about constant learning since you have to push yourself to do it right, to hold that pose for a little longer each time. Yoga pushes you, pushes you to improve (not be better than anyone else) to be better than yourself. To breath deeper, concentrate more, bare the pain of that pose for longer, use the muscles more… it constantly helps me push myself.

Increase energy level

Yoga is the secret to feeling fresh and energetic even after a long day. It empowers you immensely, leaving you refreshed and recharged. Whatever your age or fitness level I truly suggest you should try it for yourself.

When traveling it is quite difficult to stay healthy and in shape as there is no gym nearby or place to practice a daily workout routine. That said, Yoga can be done anywhere an requires essentially no space at all. If you are looking for some way to stay fit on the road, then I recommend Yoga – you will fit right in with all the other backpackers!

Namaste.