This week I tried out a few yoga classes at a studio downtown that my mom bought me a Groupon for a few months ago, but I just never got around to it since I was training for my 10K. I wanted to give my body a break this week so it seemed like a perfect time to use my Groupon! I really enjoyed the classes that I took this week and I will definitely be back for more classes (at least until my month of unlimited classes run out..after that, it’s really just a bit out of my student budget to buy a monthly membership!)
This made me laugh 
I was a bit nervous at first because I’ve only taken a few yoga classes at the gym we have here at school, but never any at an actual yoga studio! The instructors were SO helpful, kind, and full of modifications! The other people there for the class were all super sweet too and there were a lot of beginners so I felt a lot better! So, for this week’s FLOW post I decided I would post a few facts about yoga and some of my favorite poses that I learned this week!
Fun Yoga Facts:
- Yoga has been practiced for over 5,000 years and about 11 million Americans practice yoga currently
- Yoga stretches your muscles and all of your soft tissues, and results are generally seen fairly quickly.
In one study, participants had up to 35% improvement in flexibility after only eight weeks of yoga!
- Many yoga poses focus on upper body strength, such as downward dog, upward dog, and the plank pose. (<– I NEED upper body strength!!!!)
- Some studies show that yoga has a positive effect on learning and memory (Let’s hope so with finals coming up in a month!)
Some Favorite Poses:
Downward Dog
This pose really stretched out my hamstrings which felt great because they were pretty tight from the 10K!
Boat Pose
This pose is great for your core and I could definitely feel it the next day!
Triangle Pose
This pose was tough for me, and I actually ended up modifying it by putting my hand on a block because I couldn’t reach my hand all the way to the floor! According to my instructor, this pose can help improve digestion. And I can use all the help I can get in that department
Hahaha.
I hope you have a great weekend, and try a few yoga poses if you have time!
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This made me laugh 
Gotta love yoga – glad you enjoyed the classes! How sweet of your mom to get you the groupon
I was so happy that she thought of me and got it because I would have never spent money on it otherwise, haha
Wahoo yay for yoga newbies… me too Maggie
Thanks for the moves ideas, I could use any advice and input on yoga!
No problem! I hope you are enjoying getting into yoga too
I love yoga, but I rarely practice!! I need to get better about it.
It’s definitely a nice change from high intensity cardio and things like that
I hope I can keep it in my routine and not let it fall to the wayside!
I’ve never been a huge fan of yoga, but I would love to learn to like it! I guess I just need to keep trying it in different places and different ways until I find something that fits for me!
True! I didn’t realize there were so many different styles and types of yoga until now!
I really need to do more yoga. Love that last picture. That would be me.
Hope you’re having a good weekend!
Thanks for stopping by Kristin! I love your blog…and that picture made me laugh pretty hard too