Yoga is an ancient Hindu discipline which involves adapting specific poses with the body and incorporating breathing control followed by simple meditation. It is widely practiced for health and relaxation and has been proven to significantly boost physical and mental wellbeing.
A lot of people have a warped view of yoga as a route to fitness – many think it is for airy fairy hippies and won’t make a drastic difference to their health. Then why is it so popular? I’ll admit that before I tried it I was in the same boat, thinking it was gentle exercise for middle aged folk and pregnant women, but it has been practiced for 5,000 years, so what is all the fuss about?
People usually focus on the fitness element of sports and neglect to think about the mental health implications of an active lifestyle. However, yoga it is an activity which can completely revolutionise your body AND mind. It focuses on the connection between the two, linking your thoughts and movements with calm breathing.
Yoga is not a high impact sport and does not require any equipment apart from a mat and some comfortable clothes. It involves moving your body into a variety of stretching positions and holding them – the aim of the game is to stretch out your muscles and limbs. When you wake up in the morning you may feel the need to stretch your arms but after lying in the same position for eight hours, your body could really do with multiple stretches to loosen you up for the day. If you spend a lot of time sitting in class, on public transport or at your desk on your computer, you could benefit from twisting your body into positions which can relieve stress and feel great. Releasing the build up of tension creates a feeling of wellbeing too.
During a yoga class, the teacher will describe the position he or she wants you to get into and demonstrate it. As you get started, your teacher will ask you to try to set aside any worries or troubles that are bothering you. The class aims to provide an oasis of calm for your mind so that for an hour or so you concentrate on calm breathing, maintaining strong positions and focusing only on building on the strength of your body. You will encounter lots of entertaining names for positions such as baby cobra, warrior, tree, lotus and many more! Don’t worry, you aren’t expected to memorise them. And at the end of the class you lie quietly for a short time, reflecting on the session.
The great thing about yoga is you can do it at home. There are loads of great YouTube channels with friendly, encouraging instructors. However, it is initially beneficial to attend a class so that you can get used to the basic positions and benefit from the help of the teacher before you get stuck into online tutorials. Doing yoga regularly will build up strength, flexibility, balance and coordination. You don’t need to be flexible (or fit) to do it, those aspects will come with time. If you have been out of shape for some time, then yoga is a great gateway activity to more physically demanding sports.
Yoga has few medical advantages such as being beneficial for people with high blood pressure, reducing the risk of heart disease and also reducing aches and pains (especially lower back pain), depression and stress.
I asked a couple of yogis what they love about the activity…
Kayleigh Head started doing yoga a year ago. She says: “I like it because it’s a really good way of working out and becoming more flexible without doing anything too rigorous. I also like how it can be quite reflective and gives you time to think. The relaxation at the end is great and it’s hard not to fall asleep.”
Emma Patmore has practiced yoga on and off for four years. She says: “It definitely makes you feel happier for the day as well as making you less stiff and so you generally feel more active and in control of exercising. It’s really good to have a bit of time where you’re just doing something you enjoy away from technology and lifestyle pressures. The best thing is that you see improvements so quickly!
“Personally I have tried yoga in a few different locations: at home, in a class, at a surf camp and with friends over the past year. I first started because I wanted to start out with some gentle exercise and I was amazed how toned I became after doing two or three classes per week. You can push yourself as hard as you want and get a real sense of all-over wellbeing.”
