Improve Your Fitness and Wellbeing with Yoga

Mind

Unsure about yoga? It brings so many benefits to your fitness, wellbeing and health. Our health club studio coordinator and yoga guru Rebecca Rowe is here to share those benefits and her yoga journey.

MY YOGA JOURNEY

In April I went to India to do my Yoga teacher training, one month of solely doing yoga. My fitness since then has skyrocketed. Fitness is multi-faceted and it isn’t just about lifting heavy weights or running a long way.  I have long understood the importance of flexibility, mobility and balance, but have I always spent the time to focus on them? Definitely not. Typically, with an hour to train, cardio or strength training would always take precedence over the rest and I think this is probably true for most of us.

I spent a month in Dharamsala and I couldn’t have asked for a more tranquil setting in which to do my training. My school lay in the foothills of the snow topped mountains which seemed to change with every day. We spent endless hours practising postures with Deep our teacher who had a flamboyant lust for life. An hour of Philosophy a day with Gurumukh blew my mind within the first 10 minutes. Practising mediation broadened our minds, as we became more comfortable around each other dance and laughter meditations made us feel liberated rather than foolish. Weekends were spent with my fellow students trekking the surrounding mountains, or visiting the local city Mcleod Ganj (home to the Dalai Lama) and immersing ourselves in the colourful, spicy, beautiful cultures of India.

THE BENEFITS OF YOGA
THE BENEFITS OF YOGA

One month of yoga and I was sleeping better. Going to bed without the constant ache in my lumbar spine and generally feeling a sense of wellbeing (yes the sunshine and mountain air may well have helpedJ) Why? Because the health benefits are endless. Using postures that focus on breath, strength, flexibility and alignment it has a profound impact on our physical and mental wellbeing. Not only can I now squat lower and kick higher, my strength has increased massively. My technique in the gym has vastly improved and my posture is noticeably better.

We need to stop overlooking the importance of balance, flexibility and mobility. Our future selves will thank us for it. And our present selves will sleep better!

Fancy reading more about health and wellness? Visit www.mindbodygreen.com for great tips and stories.

Did you know Body Balance is a blend of Yoga, Pilates and Thai Chi?

Additional class Tuesday 3pm and introducing a brand-new Yoga class for the Autumn Timetable Mobilising Yoga Tuesday 8.30pm. Call 01326 312707 to book a class and click here for a class list.

Written by Rebecca Rowe.