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.