When most of us think of yoga, we think of intricate poses and Instagram-worthy flexibility. We think of a downward-facing dog, high-intensity hot yoga and maybe even warrior poses. Even though these physical factors are all wonderful, are we thinking about the mental health benefits?
When I first started practicing yoga about 10 years ago, I was adamant about increasing my flexibility and making sure that all of my poses were correct. I would even beat myself up if a yoga instructor made a modification to one of my poses during class! As time progressed and I ventured into my own training to become a yoga instructor, I have realized that yoga is not just about “accurate” poses and flexibility. Instead, yoga is a combination of mind, body and soul.