Hello all!
Alright, so the title is a little misleading. I am a coffee lover, which means espresso is staying in my daily routine - however, I'm resolved to trade in my second cup of coffee for 15 minutes + of daily yoga!
I'm sure you've seen the 'How Coffee Works' videos, but here's a quick summery:
Coffee tricks your brain into thinking it's not tired.
But your brain compensates after awhile.
Which makes your baseline more tired and can lead to withdrawal.
On the other hand, yoga (and any exercise) is a natural energy booster. Instead of tricking your brain, you're doing what your brain was basically made to do - move your body.
One of the greatest impacts I've experienced during this year of quarantine has been that there's less movement overall. At least for me. I didn't realize how much this has impacted my energy level until I got back onto my mat.
Since I'm warming back into my practice, I am keeping my sessions short and focusing on simply getting on my mat and finding a daily routine. My practice right now consists of a few sun salutations, some warrior poses and variations, and generally making sure to move my spine in all seven directions:
Side stretch left and right
Forward fold
Back bend
Twist left and right
Top to bottom stretch
In addition to that I'm fitting in some abs training as well as using small (1kg) weights to gain back some arm muscle.
Writing in the blog and posting progress videos on Instagram is helping me to stay motivated, so I hope that this helps anyone reading to find their own motivation as well!
Sincerely,
-Elaine
