Hey everyone!
It’s Bladen, AXIS intern here. Hope your week is off to a great start!
As some of you may know, I am a yoga JUNKIE! I’m currently a yoga instructor in town and I can’t say enough great things about what yoga practice can do for your body and your mind.
There are so many preconceived notions about what yoga is “supposed to be,” and what your body has to be able to in a yoga practice…like be crazy flexible or super “zen”. But I’m here to prove to you that you don't have to be able to touch your toes to do yoga… all you have to do is breathe and move with intention!
During AXIS’s 10th anniversary week, I’ll be leading a virtual yoga practice to teach you about some of the benefits of the yoga practice before we go through a little flow together. (more on that at the end)
I can’t wait to share with you all the reasons I fell in love with yoga and guide you through moving and breathing with intention for a gentle but strong yoga practice. Until then, I thought I would share some of my favorite benefits of the practice with you!
- Manage stress. Moving and breathing with intention… aka yoga, has been shown to reduce levels of cortisol on our body (our stress hormone). This can reduce both mental and physical stress, thus improving mental health and overall quality of life.
- Increase flexibility and strength: Multiple studies have shown that yoga can increase our flexibility and strength. As we age, this becomes important in preventing injury and keeping our bodies strong enough to continue to exercise without risk of injury.
- Increase lifespan: Yoga is great for keeping us in shape cardiovascularly! It helps with overall physical fitness, and can also “tune up” our hearts, lungs, and blood vessels, all contributing to lower risk of heart disease and increase lifespan… how cool!
- Can boost weight loss and metabolism: Certain types of yoga have been shown to increase activation of our parasympathetic nervous system… ie our “rest and digest” phase. A consistent yoga practice increases both the time our body spends in parasympathetic activation as well as how effective our body can digest and metabolize food and toxins when we are in the “rest and digest” phase, leading to a healthier gut, faster metabolism and weight loss.
- Increases body positivity: Yoga is great for improving both our physical and mental health. Along with this comes increased body positivity… loving our bodies exactly as they are and appreciating all that they can do. Yoga cultivates an appreciation for our breath, bodies, and minds, simply by showing up on our matts with an open heart and mind!
So as you can see, yoga can help just about anyone, any age and any fitness level, to improve their fitness and overall quality of life! As a special thank you to our members, I will be leading a complementary yoga workshop and exercise session so you can see just how helpful and FUN yoga is for everyone!
Not a member yet? Whoa, there! We can fix that! Our Personal Training Jump Start Special of 3 sessions for $99, or if you prefer to exercise in a small group, our Get Up And Go Special of two weeks of our Small Group program for $67 can introduce you to our studio and get started ASAP! Click HERE or on the Current Promotions tab to learn more! Spots are limited and this promotion is only good until 8/30/2020, so get of the couch and get moving TODAY!