An honest beginner's view of Yoga

The coronavirus lockdown has made us find alternatives to gyms and exercise classes in order to stay fit and healthy whilst we're inside all day. However I must confess, I hate home workouts. I've given them a real try but find them miserable, gruelling and I just feel worse after. If this sounds like you, I thoroughly recommend yoga as an alternative.

I turned to yoga the day I was furloughed completing a different youtube video everyday. 42 days later, I've still kept it up and is one of my favourite parts of the day. I needed not just exercise that was great for my body, but also my mind to keep my mood up during these uncertain times. This is more important now than ever, due to not being able to see ours friends or take part in outdoor activities that would have normally helped distract someone with anxiety or depression.

Trial and Error

Yoga is an ancient practice and has developed into numerous branches focusing more or less on meditation, strength and flexibility. This means that some routines may feel too easy for you, whilst some may feel impossible. It's all about finding what feels best for you.

I personally love a good vinyasa flow. It wakes me up, I find it energising and focused and it's got a structured sequence with the right amount of difficulty. Although, like most people I started with Yoga with Adrienne due to her abundance of great quality videos, I found her far too slow and too talkative which just wasn't enjoyable for me. I started to get back aches from holding the poses for so long whilst she was talking! Although, many people do love her fun approach and if that works for you, go for it.

Instead, I made the change to Five Parks yoga and Boho Beautiful who's videos provide a much better pace for me. Not every sequence hits the spot, but when does leave me feeling good I reflect on why and try and find more like that. Was it the pace, the types of balance that were done, the length or even the time of day that worked for me?

It's tougher than it looks

Most people think Yoga is just about stretching and meditation which makes it sound blissful and hippy and something active, healthy people therefore don't need to do. However that couldn't be more wrong. Strength, flexibility and balance is not easy to come by. I was surprised by how many moves I couldn't do and how little strength in my arms I have despite being regularly active. I've found this attitude particularly in men who believe yoga is just too easy and boring for them compared to their usual routine of dead-lifting or running 10k. Although you may not be aching from head to toe the next morning, this perception misses the point completely.

People may choose HIIT workouts over Yoga because they make you feel like you're doing more exercise and therefore gaining muscle or losing fat. Although these are perfect for such, don't beat yourself up if that's just not for you. It doesn't make you 'lazy' or 'weak'. As someone with a health condition that means I am less productive some days, cardio is just impossible sometimes. Everyone now just wants a great booty and abs but if you don't enjoy the journey to make your body better, your workouts will just feel like a form of punishment.

Yoga teaches you to be patient

Everyones body is different. I get frustrated easily when I can't do a balance properly, forgetting that it's a journey and the instructor didn't just wake up and manage it either. Whether you're obese or underweight, tall or short, muscly or skinny, yoga will feel very different. So don't push your body too much or be hard on yourself, just push yourself a little further everyday and you'll soon feel vast improvements. Patience is the difference between an injury and feeling your best and yoga forces you to slow down to do that.

It's widely known Yoga helps with back pain, stomach problems, headaches, stress and much more. It helps gain strength, flexibility and an overall better immune system, something that is often overlooked in the name of getting your dream body. Your body is an incredibly complex machine and all parts must work together synchronously to get the best effects. That not just means your physical muscle gain but a healthy mind, balanced diet and sleep. This all-in-one benefits is to me, what makes Yoga stand out.

Consistency over intensity

As with any workout, a little goes a long way to see benefits. We're all going to have our off or busy days where you simply cannot find the time or energy to exercise. Even just 10 minutes of Yoga (plenty of short videos are on youtube perfect to fit into a busy routine) has been known to provide benefits and most of the time I don't realise how much it has helped until after I've done even a short routine and my mind feels so much more clear.

It's all about creating a habit. I'd suggest doing it at the same time everyday, preferably in the morning. Unlike cardio, you don't have to get super sweaty and leave time to shower after, some yoga can even be done just on your bed! Something is always better than nothing and you'll thank yourself after.

This just a short overview of my experience with Yoga over the past month and a half. I'm thankful that I've finally found what works for me to keep up even when I go back to a busy routine and I hope you find what works for you too. Give it a try, you might surprise yourself!