| Food is something we consume to give us energy and | | | | your lungs. If you have ever seen a baby sleeping-their |
| survive. Most times we all consume more than we | | | | chest rising and falling, rising, then falling again-this is |
| should. I remember hearing the phrase your eyes are | | | | how we as adults should breathe too. Over time if we |
| bigger than your stomach from my mom as I would fix | | | | continually take in shorter breaths the capacity of our |
| my dinner plate. And sure enough I could not even eat | | | | lungs will reduce in size. Do not worry though-breathing |
| all the portions which were on my plate. I have always | | | | properly will cause the capacity in your lungs to |
| heard that sometimes food is used as a comfort food. | | | | increase again. Yoga can be a stress relieving activity |
| Well, I did not really understand this while I was younger | | | | also. While doing the different yoga poses and |
| because after my grandfather had past I could not eat | | | | breathing you should focus on the things that make |
| anything. I remember thinking to myself 'if food is | | | | you happy. During the cool down session of my yoga |
| supposed to comfort me then why can't I eat.' As I got | | | | class the instructor had us to inhale and tighten up |
| older I realized what comfort food was. I started eating | | | | parts of our body while thinking of something that is |
| because I was sad, eating because I was happy, and | | | | causing stress in our lives. As we exhaled and |
| eating because someone else was eating - which I am | | | | released the tension in our muscles, the instructor |
| ashamed to say. We all should take note of why we | | | | advised us to think about all of the stressful things |
| are eating so that we will not get into habitual eating. A | | | | leaving our body to never return to us. So yoga is |
| good way to stop habitual eating is by | | | | definitely beneficial to the mind, body, and spirit. |
| fasting-especially from something that you know you | | | | The food you eat and the way you live your life |
| should not be eating because it is not good for your | | | | affects your natural healing process. When I was |
| health. For example, if you like brownies which I am a | | | | younger I ate more fruits, vegetables, and healthy |
| big fan of choose one day out of the week where | | | | foods thanks to my parents and I rarely became sick. |
| you will not eat any brownies. Another way you can | | | | As I got older I started eating more cookies, cakes, |
| stop habitual eating is by taking up a hobby/routine | | | | and candy and less fruits and I noticed that I started |
| such as yoga. So this way if you are eating due to | | | | getting colds more-even in the summer I would have a |
| stress yoga can help relieve the stress and help you | | | | cold. So I started thinking 'could this be related'-well, it |
| lose weight as well. | | | | has to be. The phrase 'you are what you eat' is true |
| Yoga is often at times thought of to be relaxing. It is | | | | because whenever I started putting more fruits back |
| also thought of as a complete mind, body, and spirit | | | | into my diet and eating less snack foods the colds |
| connection routine. After taking a beginners Yoga | | | | went away. Also, if you are living a life where you are |
| class I quickly found out that it can be a complete | | | | partying until the sun comes up (which I have done a |
| work out for the body. It helped me build and tone | | | | few times) and not getting enough of rest your body |
| muscles in my arms and legs and abdomen. Yoga | | | | cannot heal itself as quick. Plenty of rest is the key to |
| consists of many poses that a person must hold at | | | | waking up on the right side of the bed among other |
| different times which contribute to the strengthening of | | | | things. Also, things such as smoking and heavy drinking |
| muscle. When you first start yoga you should take a | | | | can hinder your body from healing completely so it |
| class or either have an instructor teach you to make | | | | would be best to cut some of those things out of your |
| sure that you do not hurt yourselves. Doing yoga three | | | | lifestyle. |
| times a week can help you stay fit. It also helps you to | | | | So, in the mean time live your life to the fullest, get |
| become more flexible. Yoga also teaches proper | | | | plenty of rest, try out yoga, and always eat to live and |
| breathing techniques that can enhance the capacity of | | | | not live to eat! |