I'd like to introduce my daughter (10 year old Whitney) and her thoughts on yoga:"Why should you do yoga?" you may ask. The real question is, "Why shouldn't you?" Yoga isn't just hard balance poses, and crazy meditation. It's actually fun!
You start a yoga class by breathing. You're probably thinking, "boring!!" But it's not boring, and it's actually really good for you. There are many different kinds of breathing, from Bunny Breath to Ujayi breath. Breathing improves concentration and calms you down. Breathing also gives you more energy because when you breathe, Prana (energy) rides the air into you.
The next thing we do is the poses. Don't scream and run away when you get to this part. Just calm down and relax. Some poses improve your posture, like camel and mountain. Others stretch you like down dog, forward fold, cobbler, and triangle. Some give you energy, while other poses decrease it. Your eyes and tongue can even do poses! Twists squeeze out toxins that may be inside of you. Twists also realign your spine. Some twists are pretzel, half-lord-of-the-fish, and revolved triangle.
One of the last things we do is meditation. Meditation helps focus your brain. Some different meditations that I do are Secret Garden, a practice that calms you whole body. Pom-pom poppers, where you throw a pop-pom in the air and catch it to improve mindfulness. Mantras, where you think of a four word phrase that describes you, and Mala beads, where you say your mantra for each bead. Some meditations help you totally relax, others focus your mind on one thing.
At the very end of class we always do two special practice. We say "Om". Om is the vibration of the universe and of you! Then we say "namaste". Namaste means, "all the good things i me see all the good things in you."
So that's why yoga is good for you in many ways. Now you realize that yoga isn't just hard balance poses and crazy meditation. It's actually a fun way to be healthy in body and mind! "
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