If everyone is doing something, you’ll find a hard time convincing me to do it. But eventually my judgements wear off and I realize why trends are trending. I’ve noticed this pattern in me a lot lately. I resist liking things everyone likes and then end up biting my tongue. This isn’t easy for my Aquarius side to admit but it’s true. I rolled my eyes at Drake and now I can’t get Hotline Bling off my playlist. I resisted getting into Game of Thrones and now find myself binge watching in order to catch up so no one spoils it for me. And now, after dabbling in yoga for years but never getting into it because I didn’t want to fit into the stereotype of the “spiritual hippy yogi girl”, here I am, admitting to you that I have jumped on another bandwagon. Moral of the story, judging always comes back to you. But, that’s a good thing…

It all began earlier this year when I purchased a groupon for YogaWorks. I admit I was more motivated to get my money’s worth than to workout everyday but it lead me to understand what the #yogaeverydamnday people on Instagram have probably always known… yoga is the most efficient way to connect the mind, body and soul.

YOGA QUIETS/DISTRACTS MY MIND.

I think once my practice deepens, I’ll be able to zen out more quickly and frequently but right now, the way yoga has been able to quiet the chatter of my mind has been through distracting my mind. My overthinking brain is forced to focus on the present moment and how I’m going to get my body to do that pose. Once my mind slows down enough, it produces relaxation. This is a daily lesson on how powerful our minds are and how it can affect the way our body feels.

YOGA EFFICIENTLY MOVES MY BODY.

There are countless physical benefits when you do yoga, like massaging your organs and body awareness, but the most motivating factor for me is efficiency. Not having time to workout and stretch is a worn out excuse of mine and yoga has been the perfect antidote for that. Usually when I run, I skip out or rush through the stretching part. I’ve always taken my flexibility for granted and as I get older, I’m realizing I have to actually stretch. With yoga, I’m able to to workout and stretch all at the same damn time. And since I’m focusing on my breath, I am also getting in my daily meditation. Score.

YOGA REMINDS ME TO BREATHE.

Our breath is the quickest way to connect to our soul and become present. There’s a reason why when we meditate, we focus on the breath. Although breathing seems like the easiest thing in the world to do since we don’t have to actually think about it do it, yoga helps me to focus on it. In yoga, inhales and exhales are synced with movement. For example, you inhale in plank and exhale to downward dog. Connecting movement to breath is one way to get your mediation in and the perfect alternative to meditating while sitting still.

I now subscribe to YogaWork’s online classes so there is even more reason for me to do #yogaeverydamnday… well, almost every day, but I’m getting there.