Change Your Life with the Motivational Power of Yoga
How do you feel when you’re completely unmotivated? It’s hard to get out of bed with the thought that you have to deal with another day that looks just like any other. On a morning like that, the last thing you want to do is get up one hour early and do some yoga. You feel so unmotivated for exercise, right? Well, guess what: that’s exactly what you should be doing. Research has showed that a regular yoga practice has the power to decrease the symptoms of depression and anxiety. We don’t have to go that far. We don’t have to wait for anxiety and depression before we take action. Whenever we feel a lack of motivation, yoga can give us the boost we need. Let’s see how that happens. Change Your Life with the Motivational Power of Yoga Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built. - Rumi Physical exercise motivates us to try harder At the beginning, yoga looks easy. The flow is slow and soft on your body. However, the practice challenges you to go a bit further every time. Today, it’s hard for you to stay balanced in the simplest variation of the Lord of the Dance pose. But if you stay committed to your practice, you’ll go deeper and deeper by the day. A few months from now, you’ll be standing strong and steady in a beautiful pose. Today, it may be hard for you to straighten up your body in a shoulderstand. But if you get your body used to inversions, you’ll be making progress towards a headstand in no time. The steady progress you'll notice in your physical practice motivates you to keep going. Your body structure will change. Yoga will make you leaner and stronger. That effect is enough to motivate you to practice every day, but that’s not where the motivational benefits of the physical practice end. A regular practice will make you more disciplined, and that personal trait will reflect on everything else you do. You’ll realize that every result takes effort and consistency. If you want to make progress in your job, you’ll have to take small steps every day towards your goal. If you want to improve the communication with your partner and family members, you’ll have to work at it too. Nothing comes for granted -- and that’s the biggest lesson yoga will teach you. You’ll respect the journey towards results, and you’ll do whatever it takes to get you there. Yoga trains your mind, too! We could say that any form of physical exercise can give you the effects we mentioned above. You make progress with running, cardio fitness, and pilates, too. However, yoga includes an element that these other practices don’t have: meditation. Even the physical practice of yoga is meditation in movement. You’re not getting to that headstand because you’re training your body to get there; you’re moving towards it because your mind is taking you there. After the asanas (body postures), the practice of yoga involves relaxation or meditation. These are purely mental practices –- your body is resting, and your mind is doing the work. You can practice different types of meditation, but the most commonly recommended one for beginners is the technique of letting go. You clear your mind from all thoughts and you bring yourself to a completely relaxed state of being. The breath consumes your whole attention. If you’re practicing this meditation technique in the morning, you can wrap it up with a positive autosuggestion: “I am relaxed. I am strong. This is going to be a good day for me.” When you’re that relaxed, the positive self-talk will get to your subconscious levels. It will motivate you enough to push you through the day. You’ll notice you’re committed to your daily tasks and you’re not complaining about them. That’s when the practice of yoga transfers to your entire day. Yoga helps you deal with your emotions It’s time to talk about mindfulness. That’s the practice, habit, and philosophy of paying attention to the present moment. When you’re practicing a headstand, that goal doesn’t allow you to think about anything else. When you’re trying to stay balanced in the Lord of the Dance pose, you’ll fall down the moment your mind wanders. The physical practice therefore teaches you to focus on the present, while the meditation or relaxation technique strengthens that effect. Mindfulness is a powerful weapon against anxiety and depression. It helps us identify our emotions, recognize where they are coming from, and let them go. We realize that we don’t have the luxury of ruining today because of something that happened yesterday. We’re motivated to appreciate the given moment and get the best out of it. Yoga boosts your personal growth When you practice yoga, you’re mindful not only of the emotions caused by other people’s actions, but the effects of your own actions, too. This discipline teaches you that everything you do affects your environment and yourself. It’s not only about the physical practice. The asanas are just one small part of the whole. Together with the discipline of breath, mind and emotions, the physical practice pushes you to dig deeper. You’re revealing the hidden layers of your personality and you’re becoming the person you always wanted to be -- that happy, vibrant, energetic person that lights up every room. There’s a pretty high chance that you were reading this article in your most comfortable position. You might be sitting on the couch or finding a distraction at work. Well, it’s time to stop reading about what yoga can do for you and see for yourself. When you make your body and mind feel good, your entire life will improve. Have you noticed how people who practice yoga want to convince everyone else to try it? They want to change the world and spread the seed of goodness they found. That’s how powerful yoga is. It’s time for you to become part of the movement.
Give Your Brain a Workout: 5 Reasons You Should (Really) Read More
Reading just might be the single best hobby in the entire universe. It takes your mind off all the craziness of everyday life, relaxes you, and improves mental health. Also, a book will never run low on batteries, so you can enjoy it everywhere. It is a known fact that reading has far more benefits than just being a popular method for killing time. It’s also a highly effective workout for the brain that can decrease your chances of developing dementia and other mental conditions after you turn 60. Indeed, reading is a powerful pastime. Let’s explore the five reasons why it is absolutely essential for your brain for you to read more -- and be sure to read till the end to get some quick tips for making reading a habit! Give Your Brain a Workout: 5 Reasons You Should (Really) Read More Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counsellors, and the most patient of teachers. - Charles William Eliot 1. Reading keeps your brain agile A large body of research suggests that brain-stimulating activities like reading are effective at slowing down cognitive decline in seniors and improving mental health in middle-aged individuals. For example, a recent study published in Neurology Journal found that a strong reading habit greatly reduced the decline in memory. Specifically, the group that was mentally engaged (e. g., reading) showed a 32% slower decline in their mental abilities. By contrast, the control group that was irregularly involved in brain-stimulating activities reported a 48% quicker decline. These results suggest that reading is a powerful tool for keeping your brain busy and fit. 2. Reading improves focus and alleviates stress The modern lifestyle is extremely hectic for most. Even when people leave the office nowadays, it seems they're always glued to their screens, reading emails, tweets, snaps, Facebook posts, and YouTube videos. It can be said that many people carry a mini-entertainment center with them at all times because of the gadgets they use on a constant basis. For the brain, this means one thing: work, work, work. If a person's mind is engaged in perpetual distractions, it becomes difficult to let the brain rest, even for a bit. They need a good tool for relaxing it. Reading is that much needed tool. It is extremely effective at reducing stress because it allows you to escape the worries of the everyday world. The science claims that reading can reduce stress by as much as 68%. It even outperforms such well-known stress beaters as walking in the park and listening to music! Sounds unbelievable? Try it yourself. Begin reading a book for 20 minutes a day on the way to work and see how this mindful practice eliminates the stress triggers of our crazy lifestyles. 3. Reading makes you more empathetic Reading is a tool that fosters the Theory of Mind (the capacity to understand that other people have different desires and beliefs). For example, this study published in Science magazine used literary fiction to test how reading contributed to increased performance on tests of affective and cognitive Theory of Mind. The study found that reading fiction can help you comprehend what people are thinking by analyzing their emotions. As the result, a reading fan can be more empathetic because they know how to relate to others. This is a great skill to have because it can help to find solutions in difficult situations. For example, being able to alleviate a customer concern can be helpful for entrepreneurs. 4. Reading helps you sleep better Many people prefer to read from their smartphones and tablets before they go to sleep. This is not a good idea, because light-emitting reading devices have a negative impact on sleep quality. According to Anne-Marie Chang, a sleep scientist who studied the impact of light-emitting ebook readers and iPads on sleep, the body’s natural circadian rhythms are interrupted by the short-wavelength enriched right, also known as blue light, emitted from these electronic devices. Therefore, reading on your tablet or smartphone increases sleep deficiency and makes you tired in the morning regardless of how many hours you spent in bed. Reading a good old-fashioned print book, on the other hand, does not have this deleterious effect on sleep. Moreover, a bedtime reading ritual can improve sleep quality because it detaches the mind from all the stresses of daily living. As the result, you’re getting some quality zzz's. 5. Reading can stave off Alzheimer’s and other mental conditions The science shows that a strong reading habit is effective at keeping a number of mental conditions at bay, including Alzheimer’s dementia. A recent study by a group of scientists at the University of Pittsburgh found that deeper engagement in reading activities was associated with a lower risk of developing incident dementia. Given that reading is a highly stimulating activity, it can help to keep your mental functioning strong. Tips to make reading a habit There are a number of strategies to cultivate a stronger reading habit, so check them out and select the ones that can work for you. Take a book with you wherever you go. Carrying a book with you is a good start. That way you can read whenever you find yourself with some time to spare, even if it's just a few pages in between bus stops. Switch from television to reading. Cutting back on Internet consumption is a good idea as well, because it provides more time for reading. Read books that really interest you. A fun and compelling book that grabs your attention will increase your interest in reading and encourage the cultivation of a strong habit. So, if you haven't found what books really do it for you yet, don't give up. Keep looking! Organize a reading hour every day. Regularity is key in developing new habits. Try putting aside one hour after dinner or before bed every night, and keep to it. Ready for a brain workout? Becoming a frequent reader offers a number of benefits for your health and happiness. Indeed, as any experienced reader can tell you, immersing yourself in a rich world of books can make your brain come alive. Are you ready to enter this world?