Trying Out Yoga

The one-year anniversary of quarantine is coming up and I have probably tried out every single type of hobby to keep me occupied at home. One activity that I realized I haven’t tried is yoga. There are many positive benefits of doing yoga. Yoga can be a big stress reliever, fix insomnia, and improve respiratory health. I wanted to start giving yoga a try since there are many great outcomes that come with doing it daily. 

I wanted to do yoga first thing in the morning, and thankfully, my classes don’t start until 10 am. I get up even earlier before my family does so I can enjoy the peace and quiet from the morning. I looked up a yoga workout on YouTube and clicked on the video with the most views. The first one I did was the 20-minute Full Body Power Yoga Workout by SarahBeth Yoga. 

After my first yoga session, I noticed how I am not as flexible as I thought I was. It was humorous to see myself get into a certain yoga pose when I can barely touch my toes. One thing that I also noticed was how peaceful the voice of the yoga instructor is as she was explaining each move. She also added some calming music to the background to create an even more relaxing set-up. 

I started to do yoga in the next following days. I admit it was difficult to get up in the morning when the temperatures were freezing, but I was determined to begin my day with my new activity. I tried out more SarahBeth Yoga videos and explored other ones, like Boho Beautiful Yoga and Yoga with Adriene. These three channels create a welcoming environment for everyone to try yoga. 

After incorporating yoga into my morning routine, I started to feel lighter. By this I mean I just felt more relaxed. My flexibility improved as well because the yoga positions started to become easier to accomplish. I saw a decrease in headaches and an increase in better moods. I also lost four pounds which doesn’t seem like much, but it really boosted my confidence. Starting my day with yoga pushed me to be more productive throughout the day, something I was longing for. 

Now, I am that person that is recommending yoga to everyone I know. I think it is a perfect hobby to improve mental and physical health, and I wish I had picked up this activity a long time ago. “You never know until you try” is a saying I’ve often heard, and I can agree with. I would usually ignore those who preached about yoga, but after personally completing it, I can agree it is as great as they say it is.

• feel good
• mental health
• physical health
• stretch
• yoga