6 Life Lessons Yoga Can Teach You
Yoga can stretch and move your mind as much as your body.
By Tracy Guth Spangler
Yoga is a form of exercise with a spiritual aspect. But it also has major practical applications to the rest of your life. The way you feel in the physical poses translates directly into everything you do off of the mat. Being “centered” and “grounded” sounds very heady and vague until you actually feel centering and grounding in your body; then you get it. And you’ll be able to use it—and not just in your workouts.
You don’t have to be Super Yogi or do crazy, advanced poses to access these benefits: You’ll be able to feel and understand them the very first time you practice.
1. Your breath is a powerful tool. And it’s the simplest to use and the easiest to access. When you’re about to embark on something big, or scary or nerve-wracking, what do you do? You take a deep breath. It’s not just symbolic: Breathing in deeply and then exhaling just as deeply literally soothes your parasympathetic nervous system. It also sends freshly oxygenated blood to all your organs and tissues. If you make a little “h” noise in the back of your throat as you exhale, and try to keep that tone in your throat on the inhale, you’ll be creating additional heat in your system, which will help everything to soften and relax. … //READ MORE
