Monday, April 15, 2013

Free Workout Friday: Yoga to Stretch and Strengthen

Stretch your body with Yoga.
Strengthen your body with Yoga.


I didn't used to care about Yoga.  After all, I was a triathlete.  I swam, biked and ran.  I was a cardio junkie. However, with (eh-em) "maturity" and experience I have come to truly appreciate the various poses of yoga and what it can do for the body.

You can be a teacher of yoga, with over 200 hours of practice in order to become certified, or you can be a follower of yoga, deeply entrenched in the benefits because it feels good and you like what it does to your body.  I will tell you that I am not a certified yoga instructor, but that I have taken yoga for years and I like how it makes me feel.

I remember taking my first yoga class and feeling like a fish out of water.  The instructor calling out unfamiliar words like Chakra and Savasana.  I was out of my comfort zone.  But, instead of concentrating on what was intimidating to me, I concentrated on my body, the stretches I felt and the strength it took to hold a pose.  Thus began my journey of the understanding of yoga and the body and it's use as a practice for my clients and myself.
The practice of yoga is a journey.  Today you might take baby steps, learning simply the different ways in which to use your body.  Tomorrow your steps may be larger, as you learn what strength is required of your body to reach further.  Next week, you might learn that the breath of yoga, deep inhales and exhales, "assist" each pose and allow you to reach and stretch further;  the breath allows you to go deep.

For your workout today (and every day), make use of what your body can do.  Whether you just take 5 mintues to give it a try, or do an entire 30 minute sequence, you've grown.  Tomorrow, grow a little bit more.  Make this your personal goal to know and take care of your body.  Enjoy!


365fitt is about training for the event called LIFE, focusing on physical, nutritional and emotional wellness through lifestyle adaptations.  Kathy is available for personal training and wellness consultations and corporate wellness.  365fitt invites you to participate in a Healthy Active Living trip to incredible destinations.  Please visit 365fitt for more information.  Live 365fitt!

No comments:

Post a Comment