I am not a morning person, at all. In fact, I’m the kind of person that growls at chirping birds and cheerful people if I have to wake up before the crack of noon. Whether or not I go to bed early really does not have much to do with it, although I certainly prefer to stay up late. Anyway, I have been searching for ways to improve my mood as well as my ability to wake up earlier. It’s hard enough dragging my butt out of bed, but now I have a toddler that is ready to go and eat as soon as he opens his eyes. I think I may have found something that helps.
In addition to having trouble getting started in the morning, I have been having some major back pain. It’s caused by two things: first is that I sleep in one position all night so I don’t wake up the toddler (we co-sleep) and second is that the toddler weighs almost 40 pounds and still loves to be carried.
And so I’m starting yoga again to help get me started in the morning and to help with my back pain. I used to do yoga when I was in grad school, which helps tremendously with the stress. Then I picked it up again when I was pregnant to ease the discomforts of being pregnant. And every time I start it up again, I wonder why I don’t do it more often because it makes me feel so much better both physically and mentally.
So, out of curiosity, I researched some of the health benefits that yoga has. And I knew that it was beneficial, but I was still surprised at how awesome it is for you!
Yoga:
*lowers blood pressure, breathing, and pulse
*improves cardiovascular and respiratory function
*improves pain, sleep, flexibility, dexterity, grip strength, hand-eye coordination, balance, immunity, strength, posture, endurance, and energy (to name a few more)
*psychologically improves memory, concentration, social skills, mood, learning, depth perception, attention, well-being, and much much more!
Specific improvements will of course depend on the person, but it’s pretty amazing what yoga can do! And it’s honestly not nearly as hard or tedious as other exercise methods such as running (ugh) or lifting weights (ew). Those types of exercises are certainly beneficial and necessary, but yoga is certainly a nice way to get the blood moving as well.
I prefer to do yoga alone while Dominik is sleeping or with my husband in order to get full relaxation benefits. But it can be fun to do with the toddler around. He likes to join in sometimes, which is super cute. And classes are pretty easy to find, but as a mom I prefer to use a few DVDs I got for the flexibility.
Give yoga a try! It’s relaxing, enjoyable, and beneficial for your mind and body.
