Let's talk about the benefits of yoga that develop with a longer-term practice and how these extend way beyond the mat into our daily lives.
When you first start out with yoga you’re likely to experience some of the positive effects straight away. Your body feels more at ease, maybe a bit stronger, and you feel generally happier and more relaxed after class.
It is, however, after you’ve been practicing over a longer period of time that you realise your yoga practice has really started to influence your everyday life off the mat too. You notice your mind feels steadier, you feel more connected to your spirit, and a feeling of love for life just happens.
These longer-term benefits of yoga generally come much more gradually, so you may not immediately attribute them to your yoga practice. But when you stop practicing, which most of us do at some point, you realise it was yoga that helped improve your experience of life so much. It’s exactly why most of us tend to come back to the practice sooner or later – because we know it works!
You don’t have to get on the mat every day. I’ve been doing yoga for over 25 years and have found that you don’t have to practice every day to enjoy these benefits. It’s more about consistency. Usually I try to go no longer than 3 days without practicing but see what works for you.
Read my full article to look a bit more at the five main benefits of practicing yoga for a longer time, and how they extend into your daily life.