Category: Early Morning Yoga

Science says: 6 reasons to yoga in the AMs

9/22/2021

As a mom of two (and 2 businesses too!) I know my day may not always (understatement alert!) go exactly as planned.

That's why I'm a big proponent of "gettin it while ya can" -- which often means being up before the sun (and the son) in order to squeeze in my daily practice.

Did you know that traditionally yoga was practiced in the morning?

Maybe it had something to do with avoiding the hot sun of Indian afternoons, but really it just makes sense. Your mind is at its most relaxed in those wee hours, and the rest of the world hasn’t sent you any emails yet.

There are fewer distractions and there just seems to be more... peace. Physically, stretching is a body's natural urge in the morning, helping loosen up your joints in preparation for movement as you start your day.

It turns out modern science is also a huge fan of movement in the morn!

Here are just a few of the reasons (and the research that supports them!) to wake up early with us and yoga:

Science backed reasons to do early morning yoga

Feel less "bleh." Yoga improves blood flow, oxygenating the body-- which increases energy levels and reduces fatigue. Plus, the release of exercise-induced hormones dopamine and seratonin will mean you start the day feeling high on life. Especially good if you don't identify as a "morning person."
Wake up your brain. Morning workouts have been shown to improve cognitive function including decision-making, throughout the day.
Eat better. Sweating it out in the morning results in reduced food cravings and helps curb emotional eating. Yummmm.
Burn more fat. Overweight men in this study who exercised before breakfast burned 2x the amount of fat than those who exercised after. This had ‘profound and positive’ effects on their health because of improved insulin response, which keeps blood sugar levels under control and potentially lowers the risk of diabetes and heart disease.
Be happier! Yoga has been found to have even more mood-boosting power than other forms of exercise. Participants who practiced yoga for 12 weeks in this study experienced greater improvements in mood and anxiety, as compared to the participants who followed a walking regimen.
Avoid diabetes. This study found that early morning exercise on an empty stomach resulted improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity (translation: reduced risk of diabetes, yay!) to a greater extent than doing the same exercise after eating.

You deserve all of the above in your life.

So sign up for an early Zoom class today, or pick a recording from our library.
And if you're not a member yet (wha??) click here to join. See you in the morning!!

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Exciting collaboration with Wellness Hot Yoga!

3/29/2021

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We've teamed up with our east coast friends at Wellness Hot Yoga to increase our offerings of Zoom classes! Here is a message from WHY owner Teri Almquist:

Here are all the interactive online class times (shown below in Pacific time) now included in HHY Online Membership:

MWF: 5am, 7am, 1pm
TTH: 7am, 9am, 1pm, 5pm
SA: 5am, 8am
SU: 8am

Getting started is easy:

CLICK HERE to sign up for your Online Membership
Check your email for a link to set up your WHY pass at no extra charge
Get to a class in our Members Area and feel fantastic

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Natalie Relieves Joint Pain, Keeps Calm Under Stress & Connects to Community

10/2/2017

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"I've been practicing consistently for just over a year now, all because of you, your welcoming, inclusive studio, and the opportunity to be a karma yogi! Before that, I was an inconsistent, serial-Groupon-er in the Vancouver/Portland area. I've learned that being inconsistent made my practice harder on myself- pyschologically (I always had lots of reasons why I couldn't make it to class) and physically (I battled nausea a lot longer than I had to.) The secret for me is just showing up to practice frequently, ideally daily.

"I got into Bikram yoga expecting to improve a chronic knee injury and improve my strength and flexibility. All of these things have happened, and continue, to happen, especially now that I have a consistent practice. I have been most surprised by my seemingly sudden, new-found ability to automatically breathe slowly in and out during stressful situations that happen outside of the yoga room! I remember being in a work situation and I was all calm and breathing through it, and I literally wondered why I wasn't more upset, like I normally would be. It was at that moment I realized that I'd been practicing calm, full breathing while experiencing discomfort in class long enough that I had developed 'muscle memory' and it was automatic response. It was one of the strangest, and most freeing, moments of this year!

"When I began to practice regularly 3 or more times per week, I noticed a bunch of changes taking place. Decreased body pain, especially in my joints. I always say that Bikram yoga takes the 'old' out of my bones when my friends wonder why I practice. Cravings for healthier food and lots of lemony water. Serenity, instead of stressed, as a baseline for my mood for that day. Increased mental clarity and energy to be able to accomplish things.

"I've always enjoyed yoga, I'd take yoga books out of the library when I was a kid and contort myself in my first solo practice. Then I took my first Hatha yoga group class in college for credit. Yoga helped me be a better belly dancer and helped me through long shifts as a bartender. Later on, I didn't really think Bikram yoga would be very different from all the other non-hot forms I'd dabbled in, so I bought a Groupon (hahahahahahaha!)

"I went to my first class in a long-sleeve, full-legged bodysuit that I wore comfortably in dance classes. I was exhausted, dizzy, and queasy after the initial deep-breathing sets and pretty much just laid on my mat for the rest of class, trying not to run screaming from the room. It took me a month to return for my second try. It was still awful, but I kept on coming back, probably because the after-effects were so immediate and compelling.

"I often procrastinate. So when I saw "Do Later Now" on BYSJ's studio t-shirts, I was irked- and also knew this was exactly where I needed to spend my time, ha!

"Becoming a karma yoga cleaner at BYSJ gave me two wonderful (and unexpected) gifts. First, it has given me a sense of responsibility and belonging in a new, welcoming, beautiful studio/community. I'm pretty introverted and work with the public, so spending time in silence with other yogically-determined people was the perfect complement to my workday, especially practicing it early in the morning before I have to be 'on' for the public.

"My karma cleaning committment was the 'trick' I needed to play on myself in order to stop making excuses about why I couldn't get to class. Before I was a karma yogi, I'd change my mind about going for lots of reasons: not well-hydrated, didn't eat healthy food, need to clean the house, other people need me more, blah, blah, blah. Once I had to be there, I quickly realized that I'm better in so many ways, from the inside out, that I do everything in my life better when I do yoga that day too.

"Finding a studio that I could really belong to has led me to a consistent yoga practice and that has been ONE OF THE BEST GIFTS OF MY LIFE. Thank you, BYSJ!"

** Interested in becoming a Karma Yogi like Natalie? Email us!

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Science says: 6 reasons to yoga in the AMs

You deserve all of the above in your life.

Exciting collaboration with Wellness Hot Yoga!

MWF: 5am, 7am, 1pm
TTH: 7am, 9am, 1pm, 5pm
SA: 5am, 8am
SU: 8am

Natalie Relieves Joint Pain, Keeps Calm Under Stress & Connects to Community

Author

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Categories

Science says: 6 reasons to yoga in the AMs

You deserve all of the above in your life.

Exciting collaboration with Wellness Hot Yoga!

MWF: 5am, 7am, 1pm TTH: 7am, 9am, 1pm, 5pm SA: 5am, 8am SU: 8am

Natalie Relieves Joint Pain, Keeps Calm Under Stress & Connects to Community

Author

Archives

Categories

MWF: 5am, 7am, 1pm
TTH: 7am, 9am, 1pm, 5pm
SA: 5am, 8am
SU: 8am