A regular consistent yoga practice will help you dodge bullets of life, and let me share a story that proves this point. This past weekend I went on a yoga retreat to Mexico, and met many wonderful yogi’s; some who have practiced over 17 years, others just starting, and most in the middle.
Often we don’t think how we are feeling, unless we are feeling ill. Yoga helps move the energy, and keep you feeling great most day’s. A guy mentioned on retreat, they went out to a bar, and had some tequila shots; sounds like maybe one too many. The next day of retreat was the last day, and practice was early at 7 am. This guy woke up feeling pretty hung over, and decided to give the practice a try, and sleep on the plane ride home. He was really surprised that in the middle of practice he realized, headache gone, nausea gone, and feeling really good!
As we go about life, how many days are we really thriving and feeling great? Our yoga practice can be started early in life, or for those more reluctant later in life, when forced to do “yoga type exercises” at physical therapy. Yes! many things done in physical therapy have some of the same goals of yoga, and are similar movements.
Yoga helps. It helps you stay positive and outgoing. It helps you balance the body. Yoga helps you if you are addictive to substances. Now after many years of consistent practice, if I drink one beer, my body feels like crap the next day. Since I don’t like to feel like crap, I find no need to touch it, nor either the over the counter drugs a lot take to get through the day, ie: pain killers, aspirins, or even allergies. I just don’t have any of that at the house, because we just don’t need it.
At the end of the day, Yoga practice gives us that little extra humm of satisfaction, and relaxation that no alcohol or drugs can do, without the bad side effects. Yoga does work, and often slowly, like water hitting a stone. But everyone knows that eventually, the stone will take the shape that the water dictates.
I dare you to prove me wrong!
See you on the mat yogi’s,
Paula
