The benefits of yoga and the most incredible places to practice it!

We are increasingly giving more importance to our physical and mental health, and this is why the practice of yoga has grown exponentially in recent years. In this post we have set out to explore a little more on the subject and resolve some of the doubts that may arise if you are thinking about practicing yoga, so that you are prepared and do not miss anything when it comes to becoming a true yogi. But, first things first…

What is yoga?

The word “yoga” comes from the root Yuj, which means “to unite, connect, relate.” Practicing yoga helps us on three levels: physical, mental and spiritual. Without a doubt, yoga is a state where mental and emotional activity calms down and gives way to experiencing a union with the supreme.

Although it is a very common activity, it is true that The benefits of yoga They are tangible and real, since thanks to the long, deep breaths that are the main part of this activity, we can reduce blood pressure and heart rate, relax, learn to concentrate and work better, and there are even those who practice yoga to achieve a deeper sleep.

What are the benefits of practicing yoga?

The benefits of yoga are noticeable in the health of our body and mind. By practicing this discipline we will improve our posture, our digestion will be less heavy, our thoughts will be healthier, we will increase our ability to concentrate and we will gain flexibility.

BENEFITS OF YOGA ON THE BODY:

• Conscious breathing: Breathing is an essential key element in yoga. Good breathing improves our mood on a daily basis, we can reduce blood pressure and heart rate, our muscles relax and we reduce the tendency to tense up the body.
• More flexibility: Flexibility helps to relieve muscle tension generated by the state of tension that our body sometimes enters due to stress and to relax muscle overload caused by our daily physical activity.
• Healthy body posture: Yoga helps relieve and prevent lower back or neck pain caused by poor posture and sedentary habits.
• Strong muscles and bones: Yoga helps prevent bone loss, increases joint flexibility and helps us have a more toned body.
• Strengthens the immune system: When we relax, cortisol levels (the “stress hormone”) are reduced. Lower cortisol levels mean greater resistance to certain diseases and healthy blood pressure.
• Burning calories: Yoga focuses on working the muscles, although it is not a strength sport. The muscles are worked and calorie expenditure is increased.

BENEFITS OF YOGA ON THE MIND:

• Deep sleep: Through yoga and the relaxation techniques it provides, we will find it easier to get quality sleep.
• Greater self-control: Practicing yoga will help you grow physically and mentally. To get to know yourself better and to know what your body and mind need to be well.
• Less anxiety and stress: Starting your day by being aware of the present moment and taking time for yourself, instead of overwhelming yourself with all your tasks and obligations, will prevent you from becoming distressed before your time.
• Positive energy and good humor: Practicing yoga will make you see your day from another perspective.

Where can I practice yoga?

PRACTICE YOGA OUTDOORS

Move your yoga sessions to an open space and you will discover how your physical and emotional well-being increases.

• On the beach: If you live near the beach, get dressed, grab your mat, and let your attention focus on the waves, the sea breeze, and the connection with your body and mind. This can help you get the most out of your experience.
• On top of a mountain: Ending a day of trekking or hiking with a yoga session taking the horizon as a point of reference, and the feeling of freedom that heights provide, listening only to the sound of the wind along with your breathing, can be ideal for resting, replenishing your strength and enjoying a day of sport even more.
• In the park: If you live in the city and find it difficult to surround yourself with nature, parks are a great opportunity to immerse yourself in the practice of yoga outdoors, alone or with friends.
• At your holiday destination: Even if you are away from home doing tourism, do not forget to pack your mat in your suitcase, you never know where you might have the opportunity to put your yoga routine into practice.

PRACTICE YOGA IN SPAIN

These wonderful destinations to practice yoga in Spain They have the same idea in common: being surrounded by nature. Do you know them yet?

• Cuadrau House: This eco-house located in the Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park organizes Yoga, Art and Nature retreats. Casa Cuadrau offers accommodation, yoga classes while watching the sunset from the living room and a vegan menu with local and organic food.
• Inspire yoga: The Balearic Islands are a popular destination for retreats due to their proximity to the sea and the nature of the interior. Inspira Yoga organizes them in Minorca and Ibiza. Laura Ruiz, one of the two founders of the centre, says that “There are quiet and beautiful corners, hidden piers, wild cliffs, excursions inland and along the coast, routes for cycling and walking…”. Their retreats consist of excursions with yoga and picnics to meditate at sunset or to watch the sunrise over the sea, with yoga and breakfast on the beach.
• MasQui: This concept is based on the renovation of a 19th century farmhouse converted into a boutique hotel in the heart of the Sierra de Mariola Natural Park, between Alicante and Valencia. A place to recharge your batteries and connect with nature. The team has a wide range of offers in programs related to yoga, personal care, stress relief, relaxation and relaxation disciplines... But the star program is yoga and meditation. In addition, courses are given in energy therapies, or gourmet organic food in the heart of nature.
• Shama Retreats: It is a space aimed at reconnecting with calm and well-being through yoga and meditation retreats. The group has centers in Lanzarote, in the Grazalema Natural Park, on Bolonia beach and in the Sierra de Gredos. So you can choose the one you like best and that suits you best.
• The Inn of Silence: Located in the Sierra de Gredos, two hours from Madrid, the welcoming surroundings, the lush forests and the silence invite calm and tranquility. In addition to yoga classes, meditation and various workshops, they organize multiple outdoor activities.

SOME AMAZING PLACES TO PRACTICE YOGA

Uyuni Salt Flats (Bolivia)

It is located in the middle of the Andes in southern Bolivia. It is the largest salt flat in the world. Entering this salt flat is like walking in the middle of nowhere. Sometimes on endless pale ground, sometimes on clouds. Where the immensity leaves room for absolute solitude and silence. All this makes it an ideal place to put your backpack aside, take out your mat and get into the lotus position in a discreet place, facing a horizon that seems infinite.

Great Cannon (USA)

Considered one of the most mystical places in the world, the Grand Canyon offers miles of arid land, caves and passages bathed in the rays of a sun that seems more spiritual than anywhere else. Practicing yoga here will offer you, at some point, as you exhale perhaps, the presence of an eagle soaring through the sky, thus bringing back the whispers of another time that are locked between the sun-baked rocks.

Rooftops in New York (USA)

You can also take on the role of Carrie Bradshaw in “Sex and the City” and attend a yoga class on one of New York’s iconic rooftops, at dusk, with the city at your feet, where the lights, hustle and bustle of this great metropolis are beyond your reach.

What equipment do I need to practice yoga?

In addition to a mat yoga, comfortable clothes, bottled water and a towel, we list some of the things you may need when practicing yoga:

• A yoga mat: It is important to choose a yoga mat that is comfortable and fits your needs. These vary depending on the thickness, texture, weight or material. The Lidl Yoga Mat or the Yogi Bare Yoga Mat are made from eco-friendly materials. If you are a beginner and do not need a very specialized mat right away, you can always find your yoga mat at Decathlon.
• Zafu or meditation cushion: It is a high, hard cushion that allows you to keep your back straight and upright and relax your hips.
• Yoga blocks: Originally blocks were made of wood, but now they are also made of cork or foam. They are very useful for discovering new postures and feeling comfortable while practicing.
• A yoga strap: It is an accessory that can be of great help to people with little flexibility, but also to those who want to perfect their technique. Using a strap does not mean lack of flexibility.

How can I practice yoga from home?

One of the incentives that has made this practice even more successful is that during the quarantine caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, online yoga classes from home became a trend. We can highlight two professionals in the sector who have made a name for themselves in the digital world by sharing their yoga routines and teaching online yoga classes. One of them is Xuan Lan, a yoga teacher and wellness expert. In addition to giving face-to-face classes and lectures, you can also access her online yoga classes through her YouTube channel (Xuan Lan Yoga), where the teacher has more than 300 videos. If you also want to soak up the yoga music that Xuan Lan uses in her classes, you can find it on Spotify (Xuan Lan Yoga).The instructor also has a blog where she regularly posts information about the world of yoga, interesting facts about this practice, the necessary material to practice yoga and interviews with health professionals about the benefits of yoga for the mind and body.

Another standout in this practice is Vinyasa Yoga instructor Elena Malova, a personal trainer who, together with her partner Marcelo, have been teaching online yoga classes since 2011, uploading yoga programs and tutorials to their YouTube channel Elena Malova yoga, writing ebooks and sharing yoga music. If you are interested in finding out more about this instructor, in the Podcast episode “Discover your potential” Elena Malova talks about the secrets to feeling better about yourself, it may also be of interest to you. Look for it on YouTube!

For its part, one A very popular trend of 2020 has been to practice yoga as a couple at home. Especially during the 2020 quarantine, families dusted off the typical Decathlon yoga mat and immediately afterwards, social networks were filled with videos of families or friends practicing yoga as a couple. In addition to being a fun dynamic that made the time we spent at home less burdensome, practicing yoga as a couple can be very good for improving relationships with others. It helps you to be more patient, to increase trust and confidence in each other and to strengthen the bond you have created together.

What is the right music for practicing yoga?

Yoga teacher Rocket, meanwhile, says that rhythm must be linked to breathing. His formula for choosing the right music for yoga is clear: “I link movement and breathing to a specially mixed soundtrack, at a pace that keeps breaths below 10 per minute, but not so slow that the yogi becomes stressed or out of breath: 69 beats per minute is the ideal pace – all my mixes come back to that.” The teacher recommends artists such as Petit Biscuit, Jon Hopkins, Nils Frahm and James Blake.

So, if you like listening to yoga music when you practice this discipline, you can follow Rocket's recommendations. Here are some other playlists that you can find on Spotify and that may help you meditate and improve your yoga technique:

• EMITAZ- MEDITATION
• Indian Chill
• Xuan Lan Yoga: Music for my well-being

Yoga and sport Curiosities!

Yoga is also not overlooked by sports professionals, who have included this discipline in their preparation, training and meditation routine. Among the elite athletes who enjoy this practice, we find world leaders such as Kelly Slater in the world of surfing, who claims that, for him, yoga has served as a method to attract motivation and concentration to his body and mind when he has needed it. In addition, the surfer has come to the conclusion that, among all of us, yoga is a good way to achieve the desired results. the benefits of yoga, He takes away what this discipline teaches him about expectations and mindfulness: it helps him keep an open mind.

Another surfing icon who has not passed up the opportunity to get fully involved in the world of yoga is Gerry López, who at almost 70 years old is considered a true surfer. yogi and takes his mat everywhere to practice, meditate and organize retreats in Bali to instruct and spread the peace and tranquility that he has achieved. On the Paradiso ski slope in Corviglia, Switzerland, you can also enjoy skiing and yoga in equal measure. Ski instructor Sabrina Nussbaum created the concept of “Yoga on Snow” as a way to consciously enjoy skiing. The aim of this idea is to relax and experience the descent from a different perspective. More and more ski resorts are offering courses that teach this discipline.

Now that you know the benefits of yoga, the best places to practice it, the yoga equipment and music you need for your classes, all you need to know are some yoga phrases that will serve to inspire and motivate you when you start your first yoga classes.

• “Yoga is the most successful sport in globalization” - Stefanie Syman, author of The Subtle Body: The Story of Yoga in America.
• “Breathing is the queen of the mind” - BKS Iyengar.
• “The two most important things you need to do yoga are your body and your mind” - Rodney Yee.
• “Yoga is not about self-improvement, it is about self-acceptance” - Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa.

Maybe we have convinced you that the next time you approach your yoga practice, you should do so being fully aware of the mental well-being that will follow. If you can also do it on the peak of a mountain in the Pyrenees, or facing the sea in the Balearic Islands, even better! Go ahead and live the experience of connection between body, mind and spirit that only yoga can offer you.