BellaOnline Forums Health and Fitness Yoga Why do you practice yoga?

Hi Everyone!

I'm asking this question for a couple of reasons. First, I'd like the opportunity to get to know everyone a little better and second, I think it would be great to have a conversation about what it is that brought each of us to our practices. It's inspiring to hear others' stories!

So, why do you practice yoga? How were you first introduced? What is your favorite aspect of practicing yoga?

For me it is primarily stress relief. I work all day every day and my whole body gets tense from sitting in front of the computer typing all day long. It is hard for me to take a break from work - I feel like my todo list is always 100 pages long - but I know I *have* to or I will get sick and be unable to work. So I force myself to do yoga every few days, and it really does help me to be more efficient when I am working as a result. So it's "worth the investment".

I agree - stress relief. It also feels good.

I'm fairly new to yoga but I love it so much. To me, it connects the mind, body and spirit. It is a form of physical meditation.

There are so many ways of exercising the body and muscles but yoga offers so much more that mere stress relief or muscle toning, to me at least.

I'm interested in all types of yoga, especially kundalini yoga.

I like flow yoga and basic hatha - holding the poses and relaxing into them.

I do not do Yoga as often as I should but I walk four dogs everyday and trying to fit 'exercise' or even 'relaxation' into my day is difficult.

Like Lisa I sit at the computer for most of the day so I get lower back pain. I have a very old Lynn Marshall - Wake Up to Yoga book and she recommends The Fish and The Cat for back ache.

But when I am in real pain there is nothing like finding an empty space on the floor and just lying in the corpse position, I have been known to fall asleep during this exercise.

Peace and God Bless

My dad has arthritis in his hips and has had one hip replaced already. When I see him barely able to get around, I am determined to stick to my yoga classes to try and avoid the same fate as i get older.

I really want to maintain my flexibility as I age and doing yoga makes me feel so much better in mind, body and spirit.

I also have to admit that I enjoy messing around with inversions because they feel so good. I feel all bubbly and giggly - happy inside - when being upside down. They really do a nice job on my mental space.

I do yoga for flexibility.

I can really tell the difference in my joints when I do yoga on a regular basis. It also helps my breathing and stress levels but I love the way my body feels more balanced and loose after a good yoga workout.

I have been putting a lot of stress on my body just from everyday stuff and work so I need yoga to help me destress. Plus, I have lost a lot of my flexibility and I am just dying to get it back. I just started getting back into yoga and while it hasn't officially clicked with me, I think I am beginning to fall in love with it and am actually craving classes. I have ashtanga tonight and I'm excited! I try to do about 5 classes a week, but this week I will only make 3 because of the big snow storm in DC and not being able to practice.

Dear AdventureGirl -

I know what you mean - I only began classes recently and I really look forward to them!

I am practicing Yoga from the past 4 years and I think I can bend on most of the Yoga Poses, but there is still a lot to learn.
I do yoga every morning for rejuvenating my senses and getting energized for my whole day work.
If some day I miss Yoga because of any reason I feel sleepy the whole day. So it's a very important part of my daily routine.

The best thing is in yoga after practicing it it is very easy to do as a meditation.It can relax my mind and body.That's why I like it.

Yoga helps me balance my energy flow.

Yoga clears my energy field like nothing else. I first began it in college almost 25 years ago (dating myself!) because I was having headaches, and someone recommended it, and it definitely helped. But from there I got interested in Buddhism and meditation, and that became my core practice, along with martial arts, do I didn't do yoga as much. Now the last 8 years or so, I am back into yoga (the martial arts got too hard on my body), and returning to it after years of chakra meditation and other energy practices I really began to realize the importance of it for clearing out the energetic 'gunk' that can collect on out subtle bodies...there is nothing else like it!

First time I tried it was to help with c-section recovery. Second time was to rehab hip flexor and back injuries.

These days I do it because it's fun, feels great, and helps me think more clearly.

Monica,

I love yoga for a couple of reasons. The stretching exercises are great. It helps me breathe better, and it really tones up the tushy!

True! I noticed the other day when I was showing my boyfriends kids some warrior stance tips that I was in the pose for nearly 10 minutes and I felt nothing. My legs and butt have way better endurance and overall tone because of yoga for sure

Look my friend. Yoga is the biggest healer of all. It relieves you from all the diseases and give you a new life. I makes you strong both mentally and physically. In all, It takes you to your inner self.

My friend love yoga, sometimes I practice with her. She said yoga can make us young and keep elegant body. Yes, it also can bring me good mood.

I practice yoga to attain mental well-being and also to get physical fittness

It's great that yoga brings both physical strength and flexibility to our worlds

to attain mental peace

The practice of yoga and meditation has become increasingly popular in the past few years. I would like to give you good reasons why it would be a very worthwhile activity for you. Yoga and meditation will improve your health. Yoga and meditation will help you to overcome bad habits. Yoga and meditation will help you to lose weight. Yoga and meditation will bring you inner peace. Yoga and meditation will make you a wiser person.

Kelly -

I think peace is a great goal - we all deserve more peace in our lives!

The short answer is that yoga makes you feel better. Many people are initially attracted to yoga for the postures, thinking that practicing them will make them look better, which it can.You can also check local alternative newspapers or wellness magazines for listings or search online for "yoga" and the name of your town.

I practise yoga because yoga is best acne treatmen Acne treatment.

Hmmm I have adult acne and I've not noticed any difference in the acne with doing yoga or not doing yoga. I do think in general that it's good to stay healthy and that a healthy body and healthy skin helps all of you to feel better.

Hi dear, I regularly do yoga practice because it is very effective exercise for the health. It prevents from a numbers of deceases and also reduces the stress and depression. It Loses the weight and keeps us fit.

Definitely I agree that yoga helps reduce stress!

Good post.. Yoga is a good practice for relief and relax over the stress and it also help to make your body more flexible and attractive. And it increase the breathing level and after that you feel much better in mind, body and spirit. Thanks for haring this post.

Well Yoga is the best exercise not only for maintaining fitness as well as relax your mind . It is also good for weight loss . So people having overweight issue must do yoga for losing weight . People who have sleeping disorder should also do this .

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I feel really good, relaxed and like I have a good type of relaxed energy when I am done.

Hope I'm not too late to the party. I've been practicing yoga for about 7 years now. I don't know how anyone can go through life without it:) Ok Ok, maybe other exercises are fine too ;) I practice yoga because it helps me get re-centered and get back into my body, so to speak. I do yoga an hour a day, 3-4 times a week, for an and that is usually good to keep me feeling so alive and vibrant. ps. I'm glad to be here :)

Well Yoga is the best exercise not only for maintaining fitness as well as relax your mind . It is also good for . So people having overweight issue must do yoga for losing weight . People who have sleeping disorder should also do this .

I practice yoga daily except moon days. It teaches me how to breathe correctly and it will lengthen my life.

First time I saw my neighbor doing a posture in which his whole body is balanced on head then I tried at home and started loving yoga :)then I do 200 hour teacher training.