Written by Sadie Croshaw, Yoga Instructor
“So… what are the benefits of yoga?” When a student asked me this question at a recent class, I smiled maybe a little too big. The thing I had to clarify was that it depends on what you want it to do.
Over just the last year of my teaching, I’ve learned that yoga’s scope can reach, but is not limited to:
-
A young foster child, learning to take control of their ADHD
-
A pregnant woman pained by sciatica
-
A recent divorcee, riddled with pain from their past and questions about their future
-
An individual dealing with anxiety
-
A ballet dancer
-
An individual working to heal from PTSD
-
A middle-aged parent just trying to take care of their body
-
An MMA fighter
-
An individual struggling to understand their sexuality
-
My husband who can’t even sit on the floor with his legs out in front of him
And like I said, this is not a conclusive list. I’ve worked with hundreds of people so far, and every person’s experience is evidence to me that yoga is capable of helping anyone.
My mentality about teaching yoga is focused less on the poses and more on the individual people in the room. That’s to say that it’s not about achieving a certain yoga pose. It’s about using certain yoga poses to help each individual body. We’ve all got a different body composition, so my Tree Pose will look different from every other person’s Tree Pose! When yoga is done this way, rather than the more common way (just try your hardest to look like how the instructor looks, and hurt your body in the process), I honestly believe the results and directions you can go with yoga are endless.
In fact, here are a few “blanket statement” benefits often reaped from a yoga practice done with my chosen method:
-
Improved posture
-
Improved respiration
-
Understanding of the breath
-
Increased energy
-
Healthier and stronger spine
-
Decreased/prevented cartilage and joint damage
-
Connection of breath and movement
-
Increased strength and flexibility
-
Increased physical and mental groundedness
-
Greater understanding of how the body works
-
Ability to calm down and have more control over your thoughts
-
Ability to respect and respond to your body
It thrills me just to think of it. Meeting a new client, learning more about them, and having foresight of what yoga could end up doing for them—that’s the magic of my job.
If you’ve ever wondered if yoga could help you, but you’ve never really enjoyed yoga or haven’t yet taken the step to try it, I know where you should go! (Here, of course.) Yoga is such a dynamic and versatile form of movement, mindfulness, and breath. You deserve to have a guide who will lead you safely and at your pace. That’s exactly what you’ll find at Cache Valley Counseling, where you’re safe, you’re important, and you’re enough.