Practicing Self-Care: Yoga

In today’s society, there has been a major shift to the reliance of technology, and most recently, a shift for jobs to be remote from the traditional office. This has caused a shift in our needs as humans. Constantly using technology has a negative effect on posture, whether we notice it at first or not. Working from home, depending on the position and living situation, can lead to isolation and depression. If people are thrust into either of these situations quickly it can quickly impact their physical and mental health. Yoga can help combat these feelings in more ways than one.

This is why “self-care” is so important! In recent years, the conversation of self-care and what that really means has become a hot topic. Most businesses have used the term self-care as a buzzword to push products like slippers, bath bombs, and facemasks. Yes, those items can be used in efforts of self-care, but it goes deeper than that. Self-care is about listening to your thoughts, feelings, and body, recognizing what is going on, and then either honoring it or giving yourself the opportunity to work through it. Yoga allows you to stretch out any muscles that need attention and reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression in the process.

Yoga is More than Just Stretching

While at face value yoga looks like a series of stretches, it is more than that. A big part of yoga is recognizing the fact that you actually took the time out of your day to practice it. Additionally, a major part of yoga is focusing on your breathing as you go through the motions. This is a practice called breathwork. If you are feeling stressed, anxious, or depressed, breathwork can be very helpful. Working at home can cause us to feel unusually stressed in an area that is primarily meant for comfort, our homes. Focusing your attention on each breath you take, rather than each stretching position, will help to calm down unnecessary stress and anxiety in the body.

Listen to Your Body

The majority of people spend their day looking at a computer or down at their phones. When doing so, people tend to focus less on their posture and slouch. Also, when sitting down and looking down, your lower back and neck muscles are strained. Over time, the effects this has on the body are clear. Discomfort and additionally wear and tear on the body can lead to chronic back pain. Pressure on the back in various areas can lead to other health issues like migraines and indigestion.

Yoga helps to stretch and activate those areas of the body. Release the tension and pressure. Listen to your body. If it’s already hurting, then there is a chance that damage is already being done.

It Doesn’t Have to Be Hard

Yoga can be as easy as sitting in “child’s pose” for 10 minutes and focusing on breathing or as hard as 30 poses in 30 minutes and finishing by balancing on two fingers. Practices can range from 10 minutes to 2 hours. Some may require additional equipment and some merely require a beach towel. Genuinely, yoga is exactly what you make of it.

Some people are scared to start yoga because that means they have to stretch in public and aren’t comfortable with the stretches. At-home yoga is an easy way to get started in the comfort of your own home. It will allow you to experience how forgiving it can be. If you do choose to start with classes or personal yoga lessons, it can be helpful to have an instructor there to adjust you and get deeper into the stretches. Those options can get expensive if you are not shopping the deals in your local community. Youtube works great and is free! Listed below are classes are some classes to give a try:

Yoga for Beginners – Yoga with Adrienne

15-Minute Beginner Yoga – YOGATX 

10-Minute Full-Body Stretch – Yoga with Kassandra

We Care About You Too

At Hillandale Primary Care, we promote self-care and healthy habits because we care about our patients. Yoga is a great way to stay active and relieve any stress or pain in the body. If you do have any injuries or conditions that require medical attention, please call or come in today. We Can help you treat those and get you back to practicing yoga!