Discovering Yoga
I thought yoga would be too slow for me, until it helped me through a rough season. How yoga supports joints, bones, and the mind. Namaste!
I discovered my enthusiasm and love for yoga several years ago, when I was going through a rough transition in my life. Before that, I had always been an avid runner and loved cardio-focused exercise like running, skating, tennis, and kickboxing. Honestly, I thought yoga would be too slow for me and wouldn't hold my attention.
At that time, I met my dear friend and amazing yoga and Pilates instructor, Kristin McGee, who invited me to a class to witness the healing powers of yoga. It took me two or three classes before I could really disconnect, put my worries aside for an hour or two, and be in tune with my breathing, my mind, and my heart. My stress didn't disappear, but for a brief period I could clear my mind enough that, after class, I was ready to tackle problems with clarity and focus. Yoga also challenged me physically as I gained strength in my core and in the muscle groups and joints throughout my body.
What can yoga do for you? In addition to positive effects on the mind, sleep, and mood, yoga benefits the musculoskeletal system. Studies have looked at how yoga can help with knee pain and stiffness and with some types of arthritis, like osteoarthritis, where the cartilage between the joints wears down over time. Yoga may reduce pain by positively affecting the fluid in the joint.
As a middle-aged woman, maintaining bone strength and quality is very important to me, and yoga may increase bone strength and density. Poses like Tree and Warrior promote stretching, coordination, and balance, and help stabilize core, hip, and leg muscles.
My first Peloton yoga experience. I would love to attend in-person classes multiple times a week, but as a working professional and single mom, I just can't. I'm inspired every day by instructors like Kristin who weave yoga into their daily lives, and with online Peloton Yoga classes, FITTING IT IN is much easier. I took my first Peloton yoga class over three years ago and found it invigorating. I chose a beginner class to get back to basics and really learn the essential movement sequences.
As I've gotten older, I've noticed more aches and pains in my joints. I wanted to study the poses with the right form so that, by strengthening my muscles and increasing joint flexibility, I might avoid future joint complications. I used blocks, a blanket, and straps to modify poses and avoid pushing my joints beyond their limits.
Back to yoga basics. Breathing and moving to Cat Stevens' 'Wild World' and the Beatles' 'In My Life' at a recent class, I did Cat-Cow and Cobra; Tree Pose (Vrksasana); Triangle Pose (Trikonasana); Downward-Facing Dog; Plank and Side Plank; Crescent Lunge (Anjaneyasana); and Warrior I and Warrior II (Virabhadrasana). These poses target the quadriceps, hamstrings, inner thighs, glutes, spinal muscles, forearms, shoulders, obliques, abdominals, and chest.
The final Shavasana pose brought everything together and allowed me to meditate and be grateful for being present in the moment and for the upcoming New Year. Now that Peloton Yoga can be streamed, I'll definitely be fitting in yoga multiple times a week, and I also love going to classes in person to have someone help with my form and to connect with classmates. GIVE IT A TRY! NAMASTE!
Dr. Maggie Cadet, MD