Mental Benefits of Yoga

When someone thinks of yoga, usually it's a vision of just exercises. No one really realizes what yoga can do for your mind. Have you ever driven and notice that you don't know how you got from your house to work? Or you missed your turn 2 miles back. I know I have.

Yoga, when in the class room teaches you to focus on one thing, and one thing only. This is a really hard thing to grasp in the beginning. The idea is to focus on the now. Now is hard to describe because it is always going. There is past, which is time that has moved on, and there is the future, which hasn't arrived. Now, is here at all time. Removing past memories, and worries about the future, leave you with a quiet sensation with just yourself, and no thoughts. The hard part, is removing these obstacles. I bet you are wondering how yoga has anything to do with this!

Yoga has you do poses that require a lot of balance and strength. When attempting these poses, your mind is relaxed because it isn't going a mile a minute. This is the first step to calming your mind. If you start to think in yoga, you inevitably will fall over, or potentially hurt yourself. To help achieve this, your instructor will ask you to focus on your breathing. When you start to get the hang of calming the mind, you will notice you have more control of when you want to think and what you want to think about. This betters you in so many ways! Now, instead of worrying all the time, you will be able to take breaks through out the day from thinking. It's like a mini vacation!

This part of yoga has really been the most beneficial one for myself. I have always had a lot of my plate sort of speak. Especially right now, working, school, planning a wedding and so forth. Meditation has become a common practice for me to start my day off. I take just twenty minutes in the morning and focus on my breathing, slow down my thoughts, and try to rid of them completely. Doing this helps me to think more clearly through out the rest of the day. It also is relaxing. I think it is imperative to incorporate a time in the day to relax your body and become completely aware of your surroundings. You deserve it!

After each Bikram Yoga class, the students take 10-20 minutes to really feel their self. Feel yourself existing, and how your body is feeling. Where do you hurt? Where do you feel relievment? Where do you have an itch? Ignore it, just be aware of it all. This is one step to realizing what your body is telling you. Where are your weak points? Where are your strengths? After just a few classes you begin to notice subtle movements.



(n.d). Yoga Benefits. Life Positive, Your complete guide to Holistic Living. Retrieved 3/18/10 from: http://www.lifepositive.com/Body/Yoga/yoga-benefits.asp