Namast’ay in Bed?

This past summer, I had a close friend spend hours of her life each week in yoga teacher training.  She decided to use us, her closest friends, as students so she could practice teaching a class.  Myself and 9 other non-yoga, inflexible people went to TJ Maxx, bought matts, and went to her unofficial class.  It was a bonding experience to say the least.  The guys could barely touch their toes, and us girls just wanted to take snapchats of the whole event.  To say the least, we didn’t take it seriously at first.

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Before I knew it, after taking more of her classes, I fell in love with it.  I joined the local hot yoga studio with a few of the girls, and went every single day.  In these classes, it was 90% women, and I don’t find that surprising.  But why?  Why is it weird for guys to do yoga?

There are so many benefits of yoga that are hidden behind the yoga stereotypes of incense, hippie clothes, and peace.  Yoga most obviously will help with flexibility.  This can be beneficial to athletes in order to prevent injury in whatever sport they play.  Yoga is also beneficial to those looking to lose weight and cleanse their bodies.  In a hot yoga class, the temperature is upwards of one hundred degrees, therefore you are going to sweat.a55907a5e5686477a5c71ab08b1a40da Another area targeted is you blood flow.  Due to the many twists, bends and stretches involved, the amount of oxygenated blood that flows throughout your body is increased.  On top of that, these crazy poses are enough to increase relaxation of your insides, and promote the movement of your food through the digestive system.  Yoga is also very important when it comes to balance.  This was extremely beneficial for me, because by improving my balance, I improved my posture, which overall helped ease back pains I was struggling with.  Finally, and I think most importantly, are the mental benefits of yoga.  Yoga helps you become more self aware and appreciative of where you are in your life right now.  Through meditation practices, you are able to eliminate all of the noise of the life around you, and be more thankful for your life in general.  When overwhelmed with the stress of going away to college, yoga helped me to relax  I encourage everyone to at least TRY a yoga class, whether it be down town at the studio, or in the White Building with your friends!

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5 thoughts on “Namast’ay in Bed?

  1. Avery Elizabeth Holland

    My high school soccer coach was also a part- time yoga instructor so he made us do 10 minutes of yoga before every practice and warmup before a game. He said it helped us relax our muscles and clear our minds so we could focus. I had never done yoga before at this point so I was a little skeptical but after a few weeks I was hooked. I always felt much calmer and more relaxed after only 10 minutes of stretching. It allowed me to ease my tension and clear my mind which made the practice or game much more enjoyable. I would love to go to a full class someday to get the entire yoga experience and receive all the amazing benefits. I found an article that discusses additional metal benefits of yoga. Check it out here .

  2. Anna Strahle

    My senior year of high school I went through a phase of attending any hot yoga class I could. I felt healthier, more energetic, and overall I felt happier. There was one class I went to though where I was in the middle of holding a position when I felt as though I was going to pass out. My eyesight went fuzzy, and my entire body felt like a noodle. I was so nervous that I was going to pass out in front of the whole class and cause a scene, so I immediately sat down. The teachers tell you not to leave the room because the intense temperature change can cause you to potentially throw up. Despite the many positive outcomes from my personal experience of participating in hot yoga, the one time where my body reacted negatively set me away from it. Luckily I didn’t endure any long-lasting injuries, but there are people who’s heart rates have increased to much higher levels than a doctor would recommend. For other potential risks you can visit here:
    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3052047/Is-Bikram-yoga-safe-Challenging-hot-exercise-raises-body-temperatures-heart-rate-dangerous-levels-experts-warn.html

  3. Amily Zhuang

    I am a huge yoga and pilates fan. Both have been amazing at keeping my flexibility for dance. I don’t go to yoga class to relax, I think of it more as stretching and building core strength. (Which will also help prevent injury)

    There free yoga classes
    at Penn State. I hope everyone takes advantage of it because only good can come out of going to yoga!

    The picture you used is absolutely hilarious! Seeing the Hulk in such form caught me off guard and I actually chuckled out loud.

  4. zvk5072

    This blog is really cool. I’ve always thought about trying yoga, but have never gone through and actually attended a class. Its interesting how many pro athletes regularly attend yoga classes as well. I found some interesting online research that shows yoga can actually help with back pain: http://www.shape.com/lifestyle/mind-and-body/yoga-and-acupuncture-can-relieve-back-pain-says-new-study. Pretty cool subject and great job on the blog.

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