Clear Your Mind and Your Search

In my last post I talked about the importance of incorporating yoga into our daily lives. With so many resources out there to guide us in what we think is the right direction, it can be hard to find reliable and wholesome sources of information. Personally, when I first began to practice yoga more often, I was unsure where to even begin. I am here to guide you through the process of finding intriguing and motivational yoga information to best aid you with your yoga journey. 

Namaste away: 

Prettyeasylife This blog primarily focuses on how yoga can make your body look better. While physical health is wonderful and appealing to the eye for some people, it is not the main goal. Rather it is a means to a greater goal. Yoga is focused on a wholesome feeling of health, be it mental, physical, emotional, or spiritual. If we get so caught up on looking “skinny” or “lean” we will miss out on the many benefits that yoga has to offer. We all have different body types and what may work for one person, may not for the other. But it is important to realize that yoga is much more than a workout, rather a lifestyle.

MedlinePlus One common misconception is that in order to rid of pain, you must intake pain relievers. This thought has aided one of the largest epidemics in the world: The Opioid Epidemic. Because of this, doctors have become far more cautious in what they are prescribing. MedlinePlus is indeed a great source of health information. However, it mainly talks about what drugs and supplements are best for certain health conditions. What it fails to do is to give a variety of ways to help treat a health condition. Yoga has been found to help many people with different conditions such as back pain, high blood pressure, and even pain during pregnancy. Natural remedies to decrease pain should first be taken instead of resorting back to old ways of prescribing medication as the first step in relieving pain.

Charisma While Yoga is thought to solely bring peace into the world, it can be a controversial topic. For instance, Suzy Richardson wrote this article about why Christians should not practice yoga. She explains that by practicing yoga, you are also practicing Buddhism. As a Catholic myself, Richardson’s reasoning made sense. However, it is hard to see how many lives yoga has benefited and just simply not practice it because of this argument. This article was very one-sided and it is important to take into consideration that yoga can be practiced in different ways. If yoga contradicts your religious views, this is okay. The great thing about yoga is that it is up to you to do what you want with it. Whether you want to incorporate it for exercise purposes, to help relax you, or to actually practice the religious side of it, the greatest part about yoga is that it is what you want it to be.

Salutations: 

Yoga’s Benefits From Head to Toe This is a great source of the many benefits that yoga has to offer for all parts of the body. This article is highly credible, primarily because it is reported by Johns Hopkins Medicine which is ranked number 2 for best medical schools and research. More specifically, Pamela Jeter, Ph.D does a fantastic job on touching on the benefits that yoga can have on the mind and body. I really like this article because it dives a bit deeper into how yoga can positively affect you. In addition, I am a very sensible and evidence based person and this article gives great detail about the science behind yoga.

Yoga Journal I previously mentioned this journal in my first blog because of its ability to help a range of people starting at beginners and ending with experts within the yoga field. The Yoga Journal was founded in 1975 by members of the California Yoga Teachers Association, speaking to its credibility. It has been labeled #1 for authority on yoga and the yoga lifestyle for the past 40 years. This journal offers ways to live a healthier, happier, more fulfilling life on and off the mat. I personally look to this magazine for any questions I have regarding how to best incorporate yoga into my life.

Instagram  For me personally, I am more inclined to do something if I have support and companions to do it with. Instagram is one of the top social media sites used in the world with over one billion users. The best thing about Instagram is that one post can touch and motivate people of all ages, races, lifestyles, etc. Some of my favorite Instagram accounts to follow for yoga include @biggalyoga, @biggalyoga, and dade2shelby. What I like best about these accounts is that they are all unique to one another and they show that no matter where you are starting from, yoga can be beneficial to you.

The goal of this post is to help you see all sides of the “yoga world.” Like everything in the world, nothing is perfect and there are going to be different opinions on all topics. What is most important is that you guys are reading the most trustworthy information. Educate yourself and then dive deep into all that yoga has to offer!