I was 20 years old and about half way through my kinesiology degree when I quit cheerleading. I spent the next 6 months of my life doing no type of physical activity, except maybe sporadically going to the university gym. For someone who has moved their entire life, this was huge change for me! I could literally feel my muscle mass drop, feel the fat start to build on my body, I was tired all the time, and I just felt not awesome. All of a sudden it was summer; I was bored, and tired of not moving my body. About a year earlier, a fantastic person, whom I greatly admire and look up to, had opened her very own yoga studio. Now her and I share a very similar movement history so when I saw that she was teaching a class this one Monday morning in July, I thought to myself you know what, why not try it out. If this person you admire so much has found a love and passion for this, then who knows, you might too. So without another thought I signed up for class and went to the studio. I had absolutely no idea what to expect, I low key thought it would be like sitting on the floor with your eyes closed for an hour, in reality, I walked into a vinyasa class, my now favourite style of practice, and I got my butt handed to me! I was so sweaty and just remember thinking what in the actual F?!* was that?! And then I remember thinking I needed more. So that is the story of how I found yoga, or maybe it found me. . . regardless, since then I’ve discovered a whole host of benefits to having a physical movement practice.
So if you’ve been sitting on the fence about jumping into a yoga class, let me tell you why you should! First and foremost, the community of humans in a space like Pure Living Yoga is second to none. The social connections you have the opportunity to make are incredible (also check out this TedTalk on why social connection is so important!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KkKuTCFvzI
Now the class I experienced as my first yoga class was a vinyasa style practice. Vinyasa practices are a strong heat building, sweat inducing practice that falls under the umbrella of asana. Asana in Sanskrit (the universal language of yoga) means pose, which really just means movement. Asana practice introduced me to yoga, and I’m still figuring out what yoga means to me, but I do know that asana is an essential component of yoga.
As I shared earlier, I studied kinesiology in school. So I have a strong love of science and understanding of how the human body is designed to work and particularly how movement impacts health and wellness. Naturally, I wanted to figure out, how activity improves health. Through my own experience, I knew that this thing called yoga was working for me. I felt better, I was sleeping better and was less tired, I felt my muscles actually starting to work again and felt so much better about the person I was becoming. But sometimes, another persons experience isn’t quite enough to convince you to get started. So I compiled some research on the benefits of physical activity to share with you. (Side bar, check out this video for another explanation as to why activity is so important)!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUaInS6HIGo
Physical Activity Increases
Physical and mental health
Quality of life and well-being
Aerobic and musculoskeletal fitness
Body composition
Sleep
Mood
Self-confidence
Neuromuscular awareness
Opportunities for social interaction
Improves academic performance
Immune system
Muscle and bone strength
Insulin sensitivity
Chronic disease management
Life expectancy
Balance
And mobility
Physical Activity Decreases
Chronic disease risk (heart disease and diabetes for example)
Hypertension (high blood pressure)
Blood glucose and cholesterol
Overweight and obesity
Stress
Need for medications
Risk of falls and fractures
Health care costs
Hopefully with all the benefits of a movement practice, you are a less hesitant to jump into classes, are excited to share your journey with your loved ones, and have an overall healthier and happier life!
Ps. I’d love to chat with you about your experience with your first class or answer any questions you may have! Find me on Instagram @shay_marie22 or send me an emailshayla.syrota@gmail.com.
Shayla Syrota
References:
http://csep.ca/CMFiles/Guidelines/CSEP_PAGuidelines_0-65plus_en.pdf https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/exercise/art-20048389 https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/being-active/physical-activity-your-health.html#a1
Table was adapted from the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology- Physical Activity Training for Health (CSEP-PATH) 2013 edition.