We’ve always known exercise is good for us. Back in the day, it was all about nutrition and aesthetics, nowadays the truth goes a little deeper. Yoga positively influences your body by releasing feel-good hormones like dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins whilst decreasing cortisol levels. This blog explores the science behind the ancient practice of yoga.

Knowing something is good for you is not always enough to form a habit. However, through experience and exploration, you can get a deeper understanding of the physiological and emotional benefits and begin to integrate that knowledge into your body. 

Stress is a natural state we are designed to move through although our capacity to ride the waves of life can fluctuate. With modern life a mishmash of emotions and distractions it’s easy to detach from how we are feeling. Learning how to lower your cortisol levels and improve your mood is how you can turn a healthy habit into a mindful lifestyle.

We unintentionally hold tension in our bodies for a few reasons… For the most part, protecting and guarding happens around the delicate parts that we want to keep safe or away from harm. Think about your heart, lungs, and sexual and reproductive organs; often, this will be apparent in your shoulders and hips (surrounding areas) causing tightness or stiffness.

Creating tension in our body is something we unintentionally, or unconsciously do all the time.

Are there days when your mind simply won’t shut up?
Do you get stuck in your head and start to doubt yourself?
Are your thoughts often racing so much it’s hard to keep up?
The thoughts you have, especially self-critical ones, play havoc with your well-being changing how you breathe, and the way you behave and impacting your mood. Your breath gets faster, your chest feels tight and your stomach ends up in knots. These physical changes in your body are reactions to your thoughts…

Creating space for change can sound like an unrealistic concept in our modern world yet change is constant. You only need to look around you, at nature to see the signs that everything shifts and nothing stay the same, except perhaps for us. If change is constant it’s no wonder we feel so stuck when we keep doing things the same old things.