By Guest Contributor Lynne Lessard
Downward Dog: This popular yoga pose stretches and builds strength throughout the entire body – especially the shoulders, legs and spine. Like many yoga poses, it helps to relieve fatigue, calm the mind, and stimulate blood flow. Why not give it a try!
Think about your habits and the activities that you do every day. You probably sleep, eat, get dressed, wash your hair, cook, work at a desk, and do a lot of typing and texting. You might also take calls for pizza delivery, play guitar à la Phoebe Buffay, polish wine glasses, eat an unreasonable amount of cheese puffs, walk basset hounds, bite your nails, or type-up blog entries while lying on your couch (yes, I’m guilty too!). Now, imagine the positions or postures these actions put you in. For example, you may be contorting your back while you sleep, cranking your neck while you text, and (practically) pulling your shoulder out of its socket while you walk a basset hound.
One of my yoga teachers often talks about how North Americans weren’t designed for our modern lives. He’s right – we’re a new breed! You would think that fitness trends would respond to all of our strange modern activities and awful posture, and yet it seems as though many of the biggest fitness trends today do either of two things: (1) Put us into positions and repetitive motions that are worse than those we do all day, or (2) Make us hyper-tense and overexert us when we really need to help our bodies release tension (I’m talking to you, Type A).
Of course, physical activity is great, and there are benefits to various forms of exercise when practiced safely, appropriately, and with moderation and balance. I realize that, as a yoga teacher, I am pretty biased in my opinion that it can be great exercise for everyone. But there has got to be a good reason why yoga is all the rage world-wide, and why the trend hasn’t faded in North America since it was introduced here in the 1960s (not to mention since its discovery in India thousands of years ago)! Each of our bodies is beautifully unique and has different needs – and yoga can respond to them. There are many types of yoga classes, and when you find the right one for your mind and body, the benefits can be enormous.
Here are three reasons why you should take the dive into yoga:
- You’re Type-A, You’re Type-B
- Whether you’re Type-A (i.e. hard driving and competitive) or Type-B (i.e. easy-going and laid back), you can benefit from yoga. Most classes combine poses that are powerful strength-builders (e.g. Warriors, Plank, etc.) with passive stretches (e.g. Bound Angle, Pigeon, etc.). This combination can help you balance out your body’s desire and need to be strong with its need to relax and undo the day’s damage. This applies as much to your mentality as it does to your physical shape!
- You’re Sedentary, You’re Repetitive
- These days, regular movement has become a feat because many of our work and school-related activities are technology-based and sedentary. It is no coincidence that rates of obesity are rising steadily and that women are more at-risk for heart disease than ever before. The movements that we do make are often repetitive and damaging, like the position of our hands and neck when we text. One of the keys to long-term health is maintaining our physical range of motion (ROM). ROM refers to the free-space or wiggle-room available in our various joints; and yoga exercises can help us maintain and develop this space. ROM gives us the ability to do everyday activities that we take for granted, like sitting down in a chair and typing at your desk. Yoga will increase your ROM and boost your immune system, helping you prevent injuries and illness.
- Your ________ Hurts, Your ________ is Tense
- Your back hurts. Your heart is broken. Your glutes are tight. Your toes point outwards when you walk. Your jaw is tense. Your brain is tired. Not only is yoga great for preventing injury and illness, it is also a powerful tool for helping you heal your physical and emotional pain, distress or trauma. Always talk to your yoga teacher before class about any injuries or pain you have to ensure you are given the appropriate modifications and assistance. If you have any serious injuries, talk to you doctor first, and ask a studio to recommend a good teacher or class for you.
Overall, yoga classes tend to be peaceful and non-judgmental spaces where you can safely practice strength-building and stretching exercises, deep breathing, relaxation and self-reflection. You can practice yoga to compliment your fitness routine, to build one up, or on its own. Either way, it is a unique form of physical and mental exercise that is so worth a try! Over time, yoga gave me the self-confidence and tools I needed to self-assess and understand my own physical and emotional health, and to eventually carry-out my own self-care practices to help me through whatever bogs me down from day-to-day. Who knows what it has in store for you!
So what are you waiting for? Dive into Downdog! Check out my article “Yoga on a Shoe String” to find classes in Ottawa for the student budget, and keep your eyes peeled for a Her Campus U Ottawa yoga social and fundraiser later this fall.
Interested in trying a yoga class for FREE?
Send us your question(s) about yoga for newbies or beginners through twitter @HCuOttawa using #HCPureYoga, or by commenting below the article link on our Facebook page. Submit your question before October 18th 2013 to be entered in a draw to win one of six free yoga passes for Pure Yoga Ottawa!
Winners of the draw will be announced on October 21st, and I’ll feature a Yoga Q&A at the end of the month to answer some of the questions.
Happy yoga-ing!
Pure is a hot yoga studio in Westboro, with a second location opening downtown on Bank Street later this fall.
Pure Yoga Contest Terms and Conditions:
- Contest entrants must be Ottawa Residents and able to pick up the Yoga Passes from the U Ottawa campus
- Entrants must be at least 17 years of age
- To be eligible to enter, you must like Her Campus U Ottawa’s Facebook Page and follow us on twitter
- Yoga Passes valid at Pure Yoga only
- Contest closes at midnight on October 18th, winners will be selected randomly and announced on our Facebook and Twitter pages
Photo sources:
http://www.makelifefresh.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/2-downward-dog.jpg