De-Stress! Try Some Yoga

[As originally contributed to http://www.ThisFitsMe.com on Aug, 26, 2014]

Now that school is back in session for our kiddos, we need to find time for ourselves to de-stress. Though we’d love to relieve our minds and relax our bodies while melting into the couch with a pint of dulce de leche ice cream, let’s try something a bit more healthy.

Yoga is the perfect way to relax your mind, body and spirit while getting in a little strength exercise. If you’ve never tried yoga, you don’t know what you’re missing. There are various styles to choose from, but my favorite for relaxation is hatha yoga. This style moves slower through the poses and holds them longer, thus building flexibility and muscle strength, especially in your core (abdominals).

Here are three more benefits yoga has for your body and spirit:

 Better Posture

As your core gets stronger and your flexibility improves, your posture automatically improves. Practicing yoga with all of its standing and sitting poses will make you more aware of your body. You will begin to correct yourself when slouching, preventing back pain, which can cause headaches, which can lead to stress. And no one likes to be stressed!

Learn to Breathe

With each pose you do in yoga, you practice a special breathing technique that helps your body get centered, calm, and relax deeper than you’ve ever relaxed before. This would really come in handy for those times you walk into the kitchen and see the kids with their legos all over the floor, the dog tracking mud in from the backyard, and the roast burning in the oven… Inhale through the noise, exhale through the mouth.

 Meditation

Usually at the end of every yoga session, especially hatha, you will spend about five to ten minutes in deep meditation. While in a lying or seated position, you will close your eyes, clear your mind, and drift away to a place that is quiet and peaceful. A place with no runny noses, no whining, no piles of laundry, no rush hour traffic…just simple peace and quiet. Ahhhh…

Yoga will give you the tools you need to de-stress while navigating real life. We take on a lot of responsibilities and need all we can to help us get through each day. Why not add a little relaxation into your fitness routine?

 

Photo by: http://www.myyogaonline.com