Hello and Happy New Year!
We are excited for the new year ahead at Sunflower Yoga! You will find that we are right on trend with what is being projected for the Health & Wellness Industry.
According to Shape Magazine a couple of noteworthy trends are Mobility Training, Posture Workouts and, hear me roar, Primal Movement all of which either are just another name for Yoga or come very close to what we are already doing.
As you may know, many hear the word "yoga" and shudder. Their first response is "I'm not flexible enough to do yoga" or "yoga? No way! You'll never catch me doing that." However, if you change the name and call it Mobility Training or a Posture Workout, you might just get them there!
Mobility Training, according the Shape Magazine, "is working to improve your ability to safely move a muscle or muscle group through a range of motion within a joint. And it's about so much more than just being flexible. Developing your mobility helps improve functional movement, prevent injuries, reduce pain, and more. And since being sedentary can lead to more injuries and muscle dysfunction, mobility training will be crucial for making sure your joints are fully functional and you're able to move pain-free. After all, if you don't regularly use your muscles in their full range of motion, you risk losing that ability to move smoothly and without pain." Hmmmm, sounds very much like something else we're already doing!
Posture Workouts, because of Tech Neck and sitting slumped over at a computer all day Posture Workouts have become a trend - as if this is any surprise! Our postures have become HORRIBLE. To have a better posture, you'll want to strengthen your posterior chain (aka the muscles in the back of your body), your neck, core, and glutes for the sake of the cause. The reason? "Stronger muscles in your back will keep you in an upright position and help you hold your shoulder blades back and down," she says. "By maintaining strength in your abdominal region and leg muscles, it will better align your spine and pelvis." People! When you are 16 years old and have poor posture because your looking down at your phone all day, you are going to have serious problems down the road! But of course, you won't listen to us now, so be it. However, come what may, you'll wish you had. Some of the exercises included in a Posture Workout include: Cat-Cow Stretches, hmmmm, a standard movement in almost any yoga practice. Also included in Posture Workouts are planks, bridges and up/down dog poses. Come on now, this is yoga!
Primal Movement actually does include a bit of crawling or prowling around!
“Primal movements can help with posture, balance, and stability because they intentionally move your body in a way that engages more musculature and it moves the body as a whole, rather than through isolated joint movements,” says ACE-certified personal trainer TJ Mentus. It’s why these kinds of exercises are the perfect antidote to tech-neck and other musculature aches and issues that happen when you hold the same position all day.
Moving in a primal way is also good for your joints, Mentus tells Bustle, because it improves blood flow throughout the body and trains all your muscles to become more balanced. The end result? Everything runs more smoothly. According to Mentus, it can even expand the types of activities you’re able to do as your mobility improves and you start to feel stronger and more stable." Some Primal Movement exercises include squatting, ever done a Goddess or Chair Pose? What about a Lunge or Table Pose? Hmmm, once again, it all includes very yoga-like poses.
The point I want to make is this: Yoga IS Mobility Training. It IS a Posture Workout. It IS Primal Movement. WE ARE ON TREND at Sunflower Yoga! We have a wide range of classes that even a novice can take. So before you go into apoplectic shock over taking a yoga class, just come try us out. Not only can I guarantee you will like it, you'll continue to come back. If you can breathe (and I hope you can) and if you can move (even a little bit) you can do yoga. So give it a try in 2023.
Like they say in 12 Step Recovery groups: "Keep coming back! It works if you work it!".
Here's to a Happy New Year! Be all you can be in 2023!
