Find Your Zen – Part 2

Yoga, Zen / By

In part one I discussed using meditation to find your Zen. Today I will explore the use of Yoga as an effective tool for bringing Zen into your life. I have been doing yoga for 6 years and wish I had discovered it sooner. The benefits are so numerous that it belongs at the number two spot in my series.

If you already practice yoga I am happy you have incorporated such an amazing tool. Stay tuned for other posts to learn about additional paths to finding your Zen. For those of you who aren’t familiar, I will go over the ways Yoga can bring peacefulness and calm to your life. Lets find our Zen in yoga!

I am not an expert in yoga but I do practice it. You could find very deep explorations on the different types of yoga but my purpose is to focus on a basic and simple explanation of what it is, the benefits, how it has personally benefited me and urge you to give it a try.

What is Yoga?

Yoga is a combination of physical movements and poses with breathing techniques that can strengthen the body and relax the mind. It is both a physical and spiritual practice. Yoga comes from the ancient Sanskrit word yuji meaning union. It is a practice that originated more than 5000 years ago in India. Yoga is not a religion. People of all religions may benefit from the practice of yoga and may even find it brings them closer to their religion or spirituality.

Benefits of Yoga

First lets look at the benefits of yoga that are backed by science, not just my opinion. There are many benefits but I will narrow it down to the top 6.

  1. Reduced stress by lowering the stress hormone cortisol.
  2. Alleviate depression and anxiety symptoms – from the reduction in the hormone serotonin levels at the nerve synapses.
  3. Helps alleviate chronic pain such as osteoarthritis.
  4. Disease prevention. Yoga reduces inflammation in the body which can lead to conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.
  5. Improvements in quality of sleep. It’s been proven to increase melatonin levels which is the bodies natural hormone for regulating sleep.
  6. Increased strength and flexibility.

How yoga has improved my life.

Through yoga I have personally experienced reduced stress, better sleep, pain relief, increased strength and flexibility as well as the ability remain calm in difficult situations. I also have increased happiness in my life due to all of those benefits combined. One specific example is I use to have reoccurring neck issues. Stiffness and pain. After I incorporated a regular yoga practice my neck pain is all but disappeared. Since I hold stress in my neck it help me in two ways. First, by reducing my stress it stopped the pattern of sending more tension to that area which eased up the neck pain. Secondly the stiffness that remained from years of feeling tensed up in that area slowly got stretched out, tension released and relaxed though the yoga poses.

If this sounds appealing let’s link you up with a way to give yoga a try. There are almost no barriers to starting a yoga practice. Resources are available which make learning yoga accessible to almost everyone.

Yoga Resources

FREE RESOURCES – Visit your local library and check out a book or rent a video. Also, free apps are available that will teach you different poses or entire routines.

ONLINE – YouTube has free videos you can watch from beginner levels to advanced.

BOOKSTORE – You can purchase a book if you wish to own instead of check one out of a library.

CLASSES – Most Yoga studios and Yoga teachers offer occasionally offer free community classes as well as paid classes. Check with your local Community Centers to see if they offer any yoga classes. Check my schedule for my next free online class.

No matter what your budget is, there is a way to practice yoga.

There you have it! A wealth of benefits and resources. Consider combining both a yoga and meditation practice to compound the amount of Zen you are able to bring into your life.

Send me any questions or comments you have on the topic of Yoga or finding your Zen. Stayed tuned for more topics in this Find Your Zen blog series.

Enjoy the journey and always be true to yourself!

~Jen

Resources below of research on the benefits of Yoga: