Just 20 minutes of yoga a day will change your life

merrybody-yoga

Imagine a practice that not only transforms your body but also works WITH your body to heal it and get it back into balance.

Well you don’t have to imagine too long, as Yoga is just that.

Yoga, a practice that dates back thousands of years has the potency (when practiced consistently) to guide the body back to homeostasis.

Homeostasis (from Google): refers to stability, balance, or equilibrium within a cell or the body. It is an organism’s ability to keep a constant internal environment. 

Basically… Yoga helps the body find a balanced state… but what does this really mean?

Eddie Stern, author of One Simple Thing and world-renowned Yogi said

“the remarkable thing about that (Yoga) is that of the millions who are practicing yoga with regularity, many have very similar results: we feel better, are more clear-headed, are healthier, and in many cases have a deeper sense of purpose.”

One Simple Thing: A New Look at the Science of Yoga and How it Can Transform Your Life

He means to say, that no matter what ailment, mood, stress, sickness we may be feeling before we press play on our Yoga class… that the practice itself will guide the body to heal in the way the body needs it most.

And the main reason behind all of this is when you practise Yoga, you take the body into the Parasympathetic Nervous System. And this is the system of healing, of restoration, rejuvenation… often referred to as rest and digest.

The alternative system that many of us live in (every. single. day) is the Sympathetic Nervous System… our fight or flight. And YES, we need this to survive, but we do NOT need it firing every moment of the day (for example, while sitting in traffic, responding to emails, making lunch etc. etc.)

Just 20 minutes of Yoga a day will change your life. Imagine a moment in your day where you can simply breathe, move and let all other worries melt away.

That little pocket of “Me” time in otherwise chaotic days. This one thing you can depend on to always be there for you, to provide you the space to heal and transform your life in the most magical of ways.

If this ONE thing wasn’t enough… you know, the whole healing of the body thing… here’s just a hand full of other ways you’ll see and feel your life transform when you commit to a Yoga practice (can you already see why we are completely in LOVE with this practice and why we do things like 50 Day Yoga Challenges?!)

More presence

Only in the NOW can Yoga exist. Just like life itself. It doesn’t exist in the past and it doesn’t exist in the future. Yoga can and only ever happens NOW.

This in fact is the first philosophical lesson of Yoga (Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, a collection of 196 ‘lessons’).

1.1: atha yoga anushasanam

Translated: Now The Practice Of Yoga Can Begin.

When you practice Yoga you’ll be forever guided back to the moment, back to the breath. This really is the Yoga teacher’s ‘job’.

The mind is designed to flit and float, Yoga isn’t about controlling the mind, it’s more so about bringing awareness to the mind and simply creating space to notice the thoughts.

As your MerryBody Yoga Teacher, I like to remind our MerryBody Family to use the mantra “Oh… that’s interesting” when they notice a thought come up.

By bringing awareness to the thought, you can create space to let the thought go and come back to the breath. It will happen again and again but you simply keep letting the thought go and you keep coming back to the breath.

By creating presence ON your mat, and when you do it again and again, you’ll notice how you walk this new practice off the mat.

Life gets better because YOU are noticing all of the magic around you (it was always there, you were just too busy multi-tasking and rushing to notice).

Imagine instead of feeling stressed and worried all the time that you could feel calm and grounded. Practicing presence WILL do this for you. And the best way I know how, the best way that II have been able to cultivate presence within my life is through the practice of Yoga.

Try this FREE MerryBody Yin Yoga class today…

Mobility and stability

This one is kind of obvious when you think of Yoga… but I didn’t say FLEXIBILITY… even though you will get more flexible too… because mobility and stability are way more important than simply being able to do the splits.

Sure, cool, you can do the splits… BUT how did you go when you tripped down the stairs?

Ok, I sound morbid, but I’m also very serious. Yoga will help you in these real life moments where you literally need to catch yourself.

The way you twist, stretch, bend and hold your body during Yoga creates strength AND mobility in joints, muscles and the fascia of the body.

Not only will you feel more at home in your body, with a sense of ease, you will be less likely to injure yourself during everyday life (this is especially important as we all age).

We can thank those balancing poses that we do so often in class that work all the tiny muscles in the body to help create stronger ankles, feet and hips.

You’ll also increase your bone density.

YES! I said bone density, I feel like this is my favourite wow factor of Yoga. Due to the way we hold ourselves in Yoga, think Warrior 1, 2, 3, plank, down dog all those strength-building poses, just like weight training is good for the bones… this is bodyweight resistance training (just as good!)

PLUS the way we stretch – especially in Yin Yoga classes (like the video above!) where we gently pull the joints of the body apart also creates more bone density. Wow, right?

Stronger mindset

If you’ve ever done Yoga you’ll understand when I say it’s kind of tough. And sometimes… it’s VERY tough.

I’m not just talking strength and flexibility tough… sometimes it’s all to do with the mind.

I say 5 more breaths and you’re like WTAF get me out of this pose right now you crazy person!

The breath quickens, you feel the anger rise but then suddenly you come back to the breath and you think “actually… I got this”

We are forever challenged in a Yoga class.

And even when you’ve been practicing for a while, it doesn’t get easier, you just get stronger. 

And so you are challenged. And then you accomplish something. And then you need to dig deep and get through that last vinyasa. And then you need to breathe just a little deeper to hold for one last minute in that Yin pose.

The brain LOVES when you accomplish something and in fact, wants this feeling of accomplishment MORE. You now feel more motivated to keep on doing the things that make you feel good. Once something that caused so much resistance in your life feels way more doable. 

Plus, you are not just building physical strength… you’re building resilience. 

Perhaps the most needed human trait in the history of human traits. Once again, you are practicing this ON the mat to walk it OFF the mat. 

And the more you practice, the more you’ll notice this natural resilient you shows up more and more in life. The little things that used to phase you, are easy breezy now, that issue that just popped up at work… hey, let’s find a solution instead of complaining.

These are the REAL life changes you will feel from a Yoga practice.

And we’ve only scraped the edges… Yoga will also…

  • Help you feel more connected to your loved ones
  • Guide to you feel more grateful for yourself and life in general
  • Allow you to notice the opportunities around you
  • Make you more patient and understanding
  • Boost your immunity
  • Increase your longevity
  • Reduce stress and anxiety
  • Improve your memory
  • Increase your focus
  • Help you make quicker decisions

And ALL of this from just 20 minutes of Yoga a day.

This practice isn’t rocket science but these days it’s now backed by science which really makes me happy. An ancient practice that has now been proven to bring so much goodness to your life and the world around you.

I’d LOVE to guide you on your Yoga journey, I have a feeling you’ll really love it.

And if you’re like OHHH but

  • I’m not flexible enough for Yoga… this is why we do Yoga!
  • I’ve never done Yoga before… this is why you join an Online space that is supportive and caring!
  • I don’t have the right clothes… do it in your PJs! No one is watching!
  • I don’t have a mat… you don’t need one! Find some carpet and press play!
  • I’m lazy… well, that’s good awareness BUT I promise we are with you every step of the way. Me, Emma and the entire MerryBody Family… we got your back!

Ok… now that we’ve covered all that… the best thing for you to do now, is to start your MerryBody experience TODAY. For FREE.

The first 7 Days are on us when you sign up over here 🙂

I cannot WAIT to see you on the mat!

Always merrymaking,

Carla (Your MerryBody Yoga Teacher)

MerryBody: move your body, find your joy and reignite your love for life.
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