10 Reasons Yoga Should be your New Year´s Resolution and New Favourite ´Thing To Do´
So you’ve been thinking about starting yoga, but you’re not sure what the exact benefits are to making this your New Year’s resolution. Whatever your motivation in 2019, we can guarantee that making yoga your new favourite thing to do is a great investment for your mind, body, soul and even the people around you. Let’s get started on our top 10 reasons that yoga is the perfect resolution to kick-start your year:
- Reduce Stress - Make 2019 Stress Free
Well, we can´t promise that you´ll be totally stress free in the new year, but we can definitely promise that you´ll experience a serious reduction in stress levels. Yoga reduces stress by encouraging relaxation which helps lower stress hormones such as cortisol which again helps lower heart rate and blood pressure. People report feeling lighter, more tolerant of difficult situations and calmer with the people that they love. Start the new year by comitting to a calmer and more relaxed state of mind.
- Improve Flexibility – Get as bendy as a winding road
Think of all the fun things you can do with that new found flexibility. Practicing yoga makes you flexible and gives a better posture which is fantastic news for your long term physical health. Stepping on your yoga mat also helps with flexibility and mobility which make it easier to do day-to-day things such as kneeling, bending and reaching. When you’re on your MatMat just know that you’re investing in your long term physical wellbeing by strengtening the core muscles and improving posture. You’ll be reaching behind your head and grabbing those toes before you know it.
- Rest Better – No more bags under the eyes
Have you been tossing and turning in the bed? Remember all those times you´ve been laid begging for your brain to power down and allow you to get some good-old shut-eye. Look no further than yoga practice as the solution to your insomnia. Yoga makes you sleep better because it reduces stress and when we are less stressed we sleep better and when we sleep better we are less stressed: you get the point! That sweet savasana on your MatMat will bring you back to a calm state of mind and allow for more easy transitions into restorative sleep.
- Be an Eco-Warrior - Save the Planet and the Animals
But first, you have to make sure you’ve thought about which yoga mat you are practicing on. We can say with great pride that, if you choose a MatMat, you’re allowed to feel extra good about a consious choice that cares for the planet and prompts a 5% donation to the Wildlife Conservation Network. Free from the worries of harmful polluting chemicals that are released in the production of PVC mats, your MatMat is made from natural rubber and topped with a vegan suede pattern. Let’s strike an eco-warrior pose and make careful consumer decisions!
- Combat Chronic Pain – No more aches and pains
Make those debilitating pains a thing of the past and rediscover your vigour in the new year. Some of us know the strain of being continuously held back by our physical state. We all know that careful rehabilitation and therapy is the only solution to help manage and combat these symptoms over time. Well, great news, yoga is a tailored practice and you can move with the breath in a practice which brings ease to your body and releases chronic pain. Many people have experienced that their neck and back pain dissapeared after starting to practice yoga. It has been reported to also reduce pain for people with artherisis and other cronic conditions.
- Exercise More – Start your summer body 2019 preparation now
We know that the Christmas turkey was delicious and you ate your body weight in stuffing, but it’s time to shift those extra kilos for 2019. You can’t get that dream body in a month before you hit the beaches, the preparation starts now! Yoga is a great workout and you can bring huge amount of core exercises and cardio into the practice. Even though we might make it look easy, it really isn’t for the feint hearted. Yoga is hard work for your core muscles and a great way to shake off the excess weight and start toning those muscles.
- Be Grateful – You are here and present in a new year
Perhaps you had a really difficult 2018: you suffered a loss that you weren’t expecting; you didn’t achieve the goals you had set for yourself; you went through rough break-up; you couldn’t see the colours in the world around you. Yoga gives gratitude by bringing awareness to the body and clearing your mind. Over time and with dedication to your practice it allows you to open a space for gratitude and which make you see the world around you and all that you have to be grateful for.
- Take Some You Time – Make time savings by investing in yourself
The world around us is incredibly demanding. We find ourselves caught up in the hustle and bustle of day-to-day life and this often leaves us incredibly time poor. Perhaps, you have to work incredibly long hours or your family needs a great deal of your time for care. We promise there is always enough time in your day for you to reclaim a space for your yoga practice. Stepping onto your yoga mat and spending time focusing on your breathing, body and just being gives you a little you time. You will be surprised by how this gives you energy and motivation in your day to day life and leads to time-savings in the long-run once you step off your yoga mat.
- Improve Sex – Give more loving and be better in bed
We know it’s a bit of a cheeky one, but we all know that you’re excited about the impact that yoga can have under the sheets. Yoga is proven to make you a better lover. Studies have shown that yoga increases the levels of testosterone in the blood which increases the sexual desire in both men and women. Your time spent on the yoga mat is adding a little ‘gas to the tank’ and we are sure that your partners will thank you for that too. Not only that but you can put those benefits from point number two to good practice you naughty little yogis you!
- Process Emotions – Get over 2018 in prepartion for this new year
Your yoga mat is a safe space to work through those emotions that might be trapped or shaking the surface. Practicing yoga can help unlock stuck emotions by freeing the mind and body and connecting you to your true self. People have often reported working through a yoga pose and starting to laugh hysterically or even start to cry. The key is to remain present on the yoga mat and allow yourself to feel whatever it is that you need to feel. It is totally normal for you to be a sentient being and so allow yourself this time to process your emotions and move towards a healthier state of mind.
Whichever reason resonates with you for starting or continuing your Yoga practice this year, we advocate taking time on your yoga mat and dedicating yourself to a healthy, loving and beautiful version of yourself in the new year. Happy New Year from all of us at MatMat and we wish you a wonderful 2019!