Yoga 101
One of my favorite habits of 2019 is making it a habit to practice yoga every week or two.
I’ve always been one for being active but I typically stick to more high impact workouts like cardio and weights, which I LOVE. But, for this year, I really wanted to work on slowing down and listening to my body. Feeling more calm and at peace was a huge goal of mine, and is especially important in having a successful remission. Of course that doesn’t mean being lazy and making excuses all of the time, but it does mean paying attention to what my body wants and needs. In doing so, I decided to introduce yoga to my life.
Yoga has been around for hundreds of years, but it’s definitely a “thing” right now. Instagram influencers, bloggers, and basically people everywhere are raving about yoga and its benefits. So is this yoga craze a fad, or are there really some major benefits to the practice?
First off, let’s get a little background about yoga. The ten major types of yoga are:
Hatha
Iyengar
Kundalini
Ashtanga
Vinyasa
Bikram
Yin
Restorative
Companies like Lululemon that are centered around yoga make an effort to have consistent campaigns highlighting the importance of not only yoga, but simply moving your body and taking time to breathe. They also really zero in on the idea of yoga universally, and how the practice of yoga differentiates from person to person.
In 2017, Lululemon launched their first global campaign titled “This is Yoga”. You can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=TbZYAo2xI5A
In this campaign, Lululemon takes a unique approach by bringing to light that their brand isn’t all about yoga, and instead framing its image around the importance of living with purpose.
The core message looked like this:
“We’re honouring yoga in all its forms by taking practice off the mat. Practice in action leads to a purposeful life”... and it was posted all over its media. Lululemon creates inclusiveness to anyone wanting to lead a mindful and purposeful life, and that is a brand that I can get behind.
Lululemon isn’t the only major brand turning to yoga. Nike is launching an entirely new yoga line in the next couple years, meaning they’re adding a whole additional sport to their company (which is a big, big deal). Who knows what they’ll do with that, but knowing Nike, probably something really good.
In my opinion, yoga can be really beneficial both physically and mentally. Physical strength, cardio health and flexibility, along with several other benefits come with practicing yoga frequently. Mentally I’ve noticed a decrease in stress level and an overall more mindful life, along with a decrease in chronic migraines-- all HUGE benefits for me.
For me, practicing yoga this year has been a huge gain in a ton of ways. Sometimes it’s a little difficult to get myself to slow down my busy college life and be calm, but it’s so important and beneficial.
Do you practice yoga, or have you ever wanted to? What benefits have you seen come from it?
Xo,
Sarah