Ready for more peace in your life? Get these four tips for why you should be living the yoga lifestyle.
You don’t have to be a yogi to lead a yoga lifestyle. There are amazing benefits to living the healthy, happy lifestyle of yogis. Minimizing stress, feeding your body good foods, exercising throughout the week and practicing kindness with yourself and with others are key components to getting that yoga lifestyle. Read on to learn what you need to do to step off that yoga mat and into the life you want:
Tip #1: Feeding your body
Yogis often are very focused on what they put into their bodies. That’s because what you eat directly affects your yoga practice. Negative substances have a negative effect — even in a short amount of time or with short exposure.
Healthy, raw foods and good proteins that form a healthy diet should be the focus of your meal plan. A very common healthy diet for a yogi consists of feeding your body whole grains, fruits, vegetables and beans. Yogis often are known to minimize their intake — or abstain altogether — from alcohol and coffee, as these substances can lead to dullness or hyperactivity.
At the end of the day, eating like a yogi is really about doing what is good for your body, clearing your mind, and listening to what kind of nourishment your body needs at each time it is hungry or thirsty. It’s okay to be hungry. It’s good to be hungry. But you do need to practice healthy eating to feel good and have the energy to carry you through the day.
Tip #2: Avoiding stress
The yogi life is all about peace and harmony, and that’s exactly what a yoga practice can do for a person. The meditative quality of practicing yoga leads a person to clear the mind, let go of worries and stresses and to focus on bringing positive energy into his or her space.
You can do this with yoga or you can try stress-free living with many other practices — including meditation, prayer, or an activity that is peaceful and sets you at ease such as cooking or reading. Find that zen activity for you that allows you to escape and let go.
Tip #3: Exercising every day
Exercising to keep the body strong and healthy is a key component of a yoga lifestyle. I love to slip on my Alo yoga pants every day and do something active — yoga, walk, run or simply just stretch.
It’s empowering to put my mind to this practice every day, knowing that I’ll feel good if I just push myself to get active in some way. I try to do exercises that will help me relax and feel good. When those endorphins release at the end of my exercise time, I’m always so glad I made myself be active. You, too, can make this a key part of your life by beginning every day with a dedicated time for exercise or making your lunch hour the time you go to the gym. Do what works for you to get you in the flow of being active.
Tip #4: Being good to others
Finally, yogis make it a priority to exhibit kindness — both to themselves and to other people. This is a hallmark of someone who deeply cares about the yoga practice. It actually begins to change the way you react to other people. I’ve known so many yogis who go out of their way to be generous and charitable to people who really may not deserve it.
At the end of the day, the yogi knows that it is in his power to spread positive energy and that it benefits him to be the best human being he can be to another person. That kind of mindset — that leads to positive change — is a lifestyle that cannot be replicated hardly any other way. It’s empowering, freeing and healthy.
In conclusion, if you’re ready to find more health and happiness in your life, then start practicing the yoga lifestyle today. You don’t have to practice yoga every day or be a yogi to get the positive results you want that can make your life more enjoyable for you and for the people you surround yourself with day in and day out. It’s more about the way you live your life infusing it with these four principles. Your fellow yogis would agree! Get started today with a peaceful, positive journey for your life, and the positive effects will become part of who you are for a lifetime.
Melanie Nathan is an entrepreneur, digital marketer, writer for Huffington Post and beginner yoga enthusiast. Connect with her on Twitter (https://twitter.com/melanienathan) to learn more.
