photo by Mike BairdIn my earlier posts here on the #temt blog, I wrote of my Curves workouts, which I love. It's a great full-body circuit workout for strength and cardio. Earlier this year, my friend added yoga to her running regimen and she really loves it. I decided to check out the yoga studio near my house.
Santosha Yoga is a wonderful studio and I signed up for a package of classes. I've been going to basic classes, but tonight I felt more like yoga than Curves, and Yin was the offering on the schedule this evening.
A softer type of yoga, yin yoga helps stretch the connective tissues of the body. The practice is quiet and passive; it has a quality of stillness. The poses are held for a longer period of time which can be very meditative and calming allowing your awareness and breathe to be directed to a particular part of the body. In the Yin practice we concentrate on keeping your joints mobile and helping regulate the flow of energy in the body. This type of practice is beneficial to all levels. (from the Santosha Yoga website)Yin has the same instructor I've had for basic, so I felt safe trying it. (hmmm, sounds like a post for my other blog.) The class had a wide variety of women, some of whom have obviously practiced yoga for a long time, as they could practically fold themselves in half! I, on the other hand, not so much! But Jean's constant message: "No judgement. Honor your body, however far it can go today."
So that, friends, is my message to you today. Honor your body. You haven't (insert exercise here) in a while? You did too much yesterday? That's OK. Honor your body and do what you can. You will improve!
I love the simplicity and power of this message: honor your body. Thank you Linda. Beautifully said..and what I definitely needed to hear today!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely post. I have been looking for a change in my exercise regimen. As I start to think about going back to work, and knowing myself both mentally and physically, I need to do something different than just running. I know that as soon as the temperature starts to dip, I will not be able to mentally get myself outside... I starting thinking back on all the the different things that I have done... Gold's, Curves, Yoga, Running classes, Dance classes... I am trying to think of when and where I felt my best physically and mentally. I am considering trying Curves again... We'll see. But anyway, thank you for talking about listening to your body...
ReplyDeleteNice message. Thanks for the Creative Commons use an use note http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikebaird/3178757768/comment72157624669494654/ . Your blog at
ReplyDeletehttp://twitterexercisemotivationteam.blogspot.com/2010/08/honor-your-body.html rocks indeed.
Lovely post, Linda... Honouring our bodies is something I truly believe is essential in keeping up with exercise. I love that you shared about yin yoga in this post. I discovered yin yoga this year and in the first class, I was frustrated and annoyed by the slow pace... It didn't feel like I was "doing" a workout. But something drew me back. And it was in that second class that I came to understand what yin yoga held for me... space, peace, serenity, stillness, and openness. The opposite of many of my more yang style exercises: mountain biking, running, and power yoga. It was truly the yin to my yang. Just what I needed! I am a big yin yoga fan!
ReplyDeleteLinda, this is a great message. I love what yoga does for my well-being. When you are able to truly learn the art of calm, and focus on breathing wellness into your soul, you make such a great choice for your personal wellness. Thanks for the reflection!
ReplyDeleteThat's JUST what I need to hear today! So, I didn't get to exercise, I can still honor my body by doing a couple stretches while playing with the kids and making good choices when it's time to eat. :-) (I feel a post brewing here...)
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