In the year 2018, we are hit with many new workout and diet trends. One form of exercise that seems to have stayed constant is practicing yoga, and maybe because it is more than just exercise. Yoga is an outlet to which you can express yourself, in times of sadness, struggle, and self-doubt, yoga is there to comfort you and make you feel strong again. It is a practice unlike any other because it not about a team-oriented goal, it is all about you, you focus on your body, your breathing, and the way you feel.

For the first year of practicing I was unable to completely clear my mind and focus solely on my practice, recently I have been practicing a new form and it has changed the way I feel. Buti yoga is a great workout and it makes you feel empowered and bold, it allows you to get in touch with yourself and incorporate dancing into your practice. And reading this you may be thinking that it isn’t for you, and that’s okay. There are several other ways in which you can practice, including Vinyasa, hot yoga, and yin yoga, these are just a few of the more popular versions but there certainly are more.

Yoga is all about letting go and being okay with the things you cannot change, but not fully giving up on them and trying to push yourself to reach your goals. The benefits that yoga offers are very necessary for so many of us, for the woman who lost her sense of self, for the man unhappy with his job, and for the teenager who struggles with their school life, yoga may be the thing you need to get back to your best self.

The calming aspect of yoga is something very real and if you have ever practiced before then you will know exactly what I’m talking about. That feeling upon wrapping up your practice, after an intense session, or one of mediation, you feel very proud of what you have accomplished. Maybe you were able to go deeper in a stretch or position that you haven’t before, maybe you were able to feel yourself getting stronger, or maybe you just felt that your stress was lifted. These feelings are so necessary, especially in the high-stress world that we live in, that taking 30 minutes a day just to practice could be exactly what you need.

So, I have a challenge for you, look for a class in your area, look on YouTube for a yoga series to follow or if you feel so inclined and have been practicing, learn about how you can teach others what you know and continue to teach yourself. Yoga could be something that you can use as an outlet or some way in which you can connect with others. But you won’t ever know until you start.

Good luck and remember that a happy mind leads to a happy life!