The Art of Trying is my little corner of Her Campus at FSU, where I step outside my comfort zone and dive into something new, whether it’s a hobby, craft, class, or trend. I’ll explore what each experience has to offer, sharing all the highs and hiccups along the way. I hope to inspire you to take that first step toward the unfamiliar and experience the art of trying.
Have you ever seen someone who’s super flexible, dropping into a split with ease or easily touching their foot to the back of their head, and thought: Man, I want to be able to do that! Well, this nimbleness is just one of the many benefits of practicing yoga.
If you’re like me, you’ve never been very flexible. Personally, I can only dream of doing a split (and I have). However, this is something that I decided to change this year by incorporating the art of yoga into my life.
Yoga has been something I’ve wanted to get into for a couple of years now, backed by the occasional hot yoga classes with friends and countless videos to follow along to. So, this year I made it a goal to practice yoga almost every night! Even if it’s two, 10, or 30 minutes of practice, it’s important to be consistent.
The Yoga Experience
The beauty of yoga is that it can be done almost anywhere and is for people of all ages. Yoga offers countless physical and mental health benefits, such as improving balance, strength, and flexibility. Yoga can also help with back pain, ease symptoms of arthritis, and provide various heart health benefits.
Yoga also relaxes the body and can help you sleep better, which is something I’ve definitely experienced after doing yoga right before bed. It can increase your mental and physical energy, boost alertness, and help to manage stress.
Many people have cited the mental clarity they get from yoga. They don’t get as easily worked up about things, and if they do, they can come down from that feeling much quicker. I’ve also found that practicing yoga has given me a better awareness of my body and a stronger sense of stability, while keeping me grounded.
Tips for Beginners
Yoga can feel intimidating at first, but there are so many ways to get started. The first step would be buying a yoga mat, which is truly all you need. There are countless yoga flows and videos online that you can follow along to start your journey. One of my favorite channels is Yoga With Adriene on YouTube.
When practicing yoga, it’s important to listen to your body. If you feel like you need to slow down, then slow down. If you feel like you need something more difficult or advanced, then go for it. You must allow yourself to modify your practice according to what you feel like doing or what you think you need. If you feel you need to modify a yoga routine, yoga blocks are there to help you!
Besides watching videos of yoga flows at home, you can also find yoga classes near you. For instance, most universities may offer yoga classes throughout the week that you can sign up for, which are typically free or at a low cost. You can also check out if your university or local community has a yoga club to really get into it and meet new people!
You don’t have to do an intense yoga flow every day to make this habit worthwhile; it’s just important that you stay consistent with it, as is important for most habits. I encourage you to try yoga out, whether it’s a yoga class with a friend or following a tutorial at home, and experience the art of trying!
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