137.6…Guest Post: Full-On Fit!
I’m bringing you something different today: a guest post! Today’s guest blogger is Carolyn Fallon and she blogs over at Full-On Fit. I hope you enjoy her post and will check out her blog!
My Journey to Yoga
I never really thought about yoga for myself. I was already in fairly good shape; I kickboxed and took spinning classes, and everything was going the way that it should. Then I realized that I was really stiff, and it wasn’t just because I had been on the road for a while! While all of the exercises that I currently did involved stretching and warm ups, they were relatively cursory. Sometimes, we just stretched for about 10 to 20 minutes beforehand, and sometimes there was no cool down at all.
I was also looking to tone up, and lose a few extra pounds. I know that yoga isn’t meant to burn hundreds of calories per class, but I also found that yoga can be extremely helpful in toning muscles and losing excess fat. This made me even more interested in yoga.
Because of this, I made the decision to start looking into yoga, and what I found surprised me. My sister was pregnant at the time, and I discovered that yoga was great for pregnant women; it made delivery easier, and it also helped them recover faster. My sister became increasingly interested to join me. On top of that, yoga was fantastic for flexibility and posture, two areas that I am habitually bad at. Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Glen Axelrod states, “Yoga is excellent for strengthening both flexibility and balance.” Yoga is also fantastic for stress relief and circulatory health, and at that point, I was sold.
It didn’t take me long to find my first yoga studio, and though I was a little worried about walking in and being surrounded by people who were far more flexible than I was, I soon realized that I had nothing to be scared of. The studio itself was quite lovely and quiet, and as soon as I walked in, I relaxed without even knowing that I had been tense! The instructor guided us through the first parts of the movements, and as she worked with the newer students, I realized that there were other students who were doing far more advanced variations in the background.
The yoga class was conducted with purpose, but it was also very relaxing. I found that I needed to concentrate on what my body was doing, and that with that in mind, I could not worry about the rest of my life. While my thoughts were still there, I realized that they could be put aside for a while. Part of yoga is the mindfulness regarding what it takes to really be in the moment, and that is something that I didn’t even realize that I needed.
Hatha yoga was the first type of yoga I tried, and it is intended specifically to help you relax, to improve your stress and to stretch your muscles. I love it a lot, and now I use it for everything from a warm up, to a cool down, to a way to simply wake myself up when I am feeling tired or lethargic. I’ve also lost 3 pounds since I started! It is astonishing to realize how easy it is to fit yoga into my life, no matter what I am doing.
If you are someone who is invested in making sure that you can get a really great
experience out of yoga, I recommend finding a great studio near you. It certainly gave me something that I have added to my regimen, and after getting started, I never looked back.
Carolyn Fallon is a 20-something year old with a passion for life, fitness and overall well being. She is an avid spinner, healthy cooking enthusiast and lover of life. Check out Carolyn’s blog at http://fullonfit.blogspot.com!
Thanks Carolyn! I hope everyone was inspired to get some yoga in their lives, if they haven’t already! Make sure you check out Carolyn’s blog!
My Journey to Yoga
I never really thought about yoga for myself. I was already in fairly good shape; I kickboxed and took spinning classes, and everything was going the way that it should. Then I realized that I was really stiff, and it wasn’t just because I had been on the road for a while! While all of the exercises that I currently did involved stretching and warm ups, they were relatively cursory. Sometimes, we just stretched for about 10 to 20 minutes beforehand, and sometimes there was no cool down at all.
I was also looking to tone up, and lose a few extra pounds. I know that yoga isn’t meant to burn hundreds of calories per class, but I also found that yoga can be extremely helpful in toning muscles and losing excess fat. This made me even more interested in yoga.
Because of this, I made the decision to start looking into yoga, and what I found surprised me. My sister was pregnant at the time, and I discovered that yoga was great for pregnant women; it made delivery easier, and it also helped them recover faster. My sister became increasingly interested to join me. On top of that, yoga was fantastic for flexibility and posture, two areas that I am habitually bad at. Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Glen Axelrod states, “Yoga is excellent for strengthening both flexibility and balance.” Yoga is also fantastic for stress relief and circulatory health, and at that point, I was sold.
It didn’t take me long to find my first yoga studio, and though I was a little worried about walking in and being surrounded by people who were far more flexible than I was, I soon realized that I had nothing to be scared of. The studio itself was quite lovely and quiet, and as soon as I walked in, I relaxed without even knowing that I had been tense! The instructor guided us through the first parts of the movements, and as she worked with the newer students, I realized that there were other students who were doing far more advanced variations in the background.
The yoga class was conducted with purpose, but it was also very relaxing. I found that I needed to concentrate on what my body was doing, and that with that in mind, I could not worry about the rest of my life. While my thoughts were still there, I realized that they could be put aside for a while. Part of yoga is the mindfulness regarding what it takes to really be in the moment, and that is something that I didn’t even realize that I needed.
Hatha yoga was the first type of yoga I tried, and it is intended specifically to help you relax, to improve your stress and to stretch your muscles. I love it a lot, and now I use it for everything from a warm up, to a cool down, to a way to simply wake myself up when I am feeling tired or lethargic. I’ve also lost 3 pounds since I started! It is astonishing to realize how easy it is to fit yoga into my life, no matter what I am doing.
If you are someone who is invested in making sure that you can get a really great
experience out of yoga, I recommend finding a great studio near you. It certainly gave me something that I have added to my regimen, and after getting started, I never looked back.
Carolyn Fallon is a 20-something year old with a passion for life, fitness and overall well being. She is an avid spinner, healthy cooking enthusiast and lover of life. Check out Carolyn’s blog at http://fullonfit.blogspot.com!
Thanks Carolyn! I hope everyone was inspired to get some yoga in their lives, if they haven’t already! Make sure you check out Carolyn’s blog!
Hey buddy its such a nice article.You are among information available here. Thanks to share
ReplyDeletethis post.Hatha Yoga
Nice guest post!! Still haven't gotten into yoga, maybe I just haven't found the right teacher!
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