Building healthy habits for ourselves is the best form of self-care. Eating well, moving our bodies, meditating on God’s Word, prayer… Each of these is necessary for holistic health and wellness and maintaining these healthy habits is crucial if we want to be strong for our purpose. Christ-centered yoga encompasses many of these beneficial targets, and consistency in our practice plays a key role in our longevity.
As we age and movement, memory, and health become more challenging, having a consistent practice gives us the tools needed to stay mobile, boost our immune system, and keep a sound mind, among so many other beneficial effects.
Range of Motion-
From Restorative yoga to Vinyasa yoga, continuing to flow keeps our joints lubricated, and our muscles stretched. Things we take for granted when we are younger like the range of motion in our neck, bending over to pick something up off of the floor, sitting cross-legged, playing with children on the floor- can still be attainable with a reduced risk of injury due to relieving muscle tension and allowing an increase of blood flow.
Flexibility-
Consistent time on our mat teaches us to slow down, to consider where in our bodies we need to focus to hold a posture. We get familiar with how our muscles and bones respond to our movement and we move accordingly. As our bodies change over time due to giving birth, aging, sustaining injury, and anything else life might surprise us with, it’s the consistency of our practice that allows us to stay familiar with our capabilities and find work-arounds when necessary.
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Mindfulness-
An opportunity to pay attention to what is happening in our hearts, minds, and spirits while on the yoga mat allows us to gently address things, place them at the feet of Jesus, pray… This allows for a clear mind and better quality of sleep. Anxiety and Depression decrease. We regulate our heart rates with our intentional breath. We learn to “address and rest”.
A Happy Lymphatic System-
This often overlooked part of our immunity, the lymphatic system with its lymphatic fluid, doesn’t flow in our bodies the way blood does. When we move, lymphatic fluid gets moved. As we move and flow with yoga, regularly, we guide this system that filters the waste our cells shed to keep moving, keep working, and keep serving us and our health. It’s been said that “Sitting is the new smoking”, and this sedentary lifestyle allows lymphatic fluid to remain stagnant, moving minimally and unable to serve it’s purpose.
Bone Strength-
Speaking of self-care, for women especially, supporting bone mineral density is a big deal. Women are more prone to Osteopenia and Osteoporosis, and moving through a 12-minute flow each day not only supports mineral density in our bones, it also promotes a reversal in bone loss, lubricates the joints with healthy synovial fluid, and reduces the risk of injury. Placing a healthy amount of stress on the bones, as with weight-bearing postures, is highly recommended for women, particularly after the age of 40, to maintain mobility.
Heart Health-
Stress, anxiety, and depression release cortisol and adrenaline which narrows the arteries. We can offset this with the gift of Christ-centered yoga, known to lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood glucose levels. This unique exercise of active rest- slowing down, each breath intentional, body in prayer, all while moving our body in balance, stretching, and strength- is a way we can show our own hearts some love.
It’s important to note that it’s never too late to start building healthy habits. Yoga is for EVERYbody, meaning you can begin with the breath in your lungs and the body you have in this moment. It’s YOUR practice, and you get out of it what you put into it. Whether chair yoga or mat yoga, whether 10 minutes or 60 minutes, our bodies will thank us for each investment made and it is never wasted!
Megan Steele
Megan is a yoga and wellness instructor who earned her street cred by surviving breast cancer, eating plants, and is continually learning how to live a life where joy and grief coexist. She uses her street cred to offer classes and resources for each of these important topics.
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