4 Reasons to Add Yoga to Your Routine

Many of us become overwhelmed with our busy work life, our lack of sleep, and mainly our absence of “me time.” It’s safe to say everyone needs some self-reflecting time in his or her life. We become lost in our daily routine of dragging ourselves out of bed, making it to work on time and doing it all over again the next day and the day after that. What most people don’t realize is that exercising can help us break this robotic feeling in our lives. We all need something to boost our energy as well as our attitudes. And it’s easier said than done.

Alas, increasing serotonin can be easily achieved. Simple inhales and exhales clear the mind and alleviate stress. Stretching your legs and rotating your neck improve your emotional outlook as blood moves throughout your body in restored ways. If these things sound familiar, it’s probably because you heard them in yoga. The practice of yoga has been known to lower blood pressure and reduce insomnia, while also increasing flexibility, muscle strength and tone. Here a few more reasons why it is vital to make it to your mat:

1. People who practice yoga are generally more positive people: Exercising doesn’t just provide you with physical benefits. Working out regularly can improve your overall mental and emotional state of being as well. Yoga, specifically, is known to help you quiet your mind- let go of the negatives and focus on the positives. A simple breathing exercise releases endorphins, producing a calming effect.
2. Staying focused on your work is a little less impossible when you regularly attend yoga: It’s easy to become distracted throughout the day. Juggling all of life’s battles is never easy, especially when you have a huge task coming up at work. The wide range of poses and techniques when practicing yoga require the yogi to exhibit great concentration and endurance. Try closing your eyes while balancing on one leg—it’s tough. This exercise is not only a physical challenge, but a mental one, too.
3. You have more energy throughout the busy workday: It is scientifically proven that engaging in a steady exercise regime provides you with more energy throughout your work week. As the poses require balance, which in turn sharpen your focus, the deep breaths allow for more oxygen intake, making you more alert.
4. Yoga provides you with the virtue of patience: Exasperation is a common trait that we cannot deny. While yoga can be a quick-paced work-out, poses like shavasana teach us the importance of focusing on one’s mind and inner self. It paces our routine to gradually enter into a truly relaxed state. Yogis take that notion with them into their daily work life.

Shift offers complimentary yoga sessions each Tuesday and is hosted by one of our own members, Madison Carroll. Maddie focuses on themes each week that can be easily translated into your day to day interactions. And she also has great music.