A lot of people think of yoga and they assume it’s just a hippie thing that white people popularized. While white people have interpreted and presented yoga in their way, it is still a global practice with India taking the lead when it comes to having the most yoga participants, so much so that it is part of their culture. This makes sense when you consider the fact that yoga as a practice originated in India. A lot of people either think of yoga as very bendy or of sitting in a lotus position and chanting small hymns. While these are some aspects of yoga, they do not encompass everything that yoga is and what it does for the mind and body. If you are looking to learn yoga either for yourself or to become a teacher later yourself, you can look into the YTT Yoga School.
Yoga requires putting in the work not just physically but mentally as well. For example, if you are trying inversions and your mind is elsewhere, you are most likely to mess up your form and potentially injure yourself if you are not paying attention. Yoga demands not only physical strain but also mental strain because you have to teach your mind to stay grounded in the present moment and only pay attention to the pose or flow you are in.
When done daily, a lot of benefits can occur. Studies have shown that not only does yoga increase flexibility, it also improves joint health, allows for better muscle growth, and can help people that deal with inflammatory issues. Mentally, consistent yoga practice has been found to have positive impacts with the most obvious one being a decrease in the frequency of anxious thoughts and a notable increase in positive or neutral thoughts and emotions.
