~Letterman style~

#7. Action steps we take in the moment are empowering. Have you ever put Yoga on your list of goals? Your 'Bucket List'? Someday, I'm going to take up Yoga. How fortunate am I that my husband put it on his New Years Resolution list in 2007. I was thrilled! Through the years I had taken some Yoga classes, and even had a few videos to do at home, but never had I practiced Yoga on a daily basis. We viewed my old videos and found them difficult at best. He said to me, "I need something like Yoga for Dummies". Here's where the 'ask and you shall receive' comes into play. One day, after dropping off a donation to the local thrift store, I did my usual walk through to see if anything special jumped out at me. There it was; 'Yoga for Dummies' on VHS. We viewed it on August 17th 2007, started our practice the next day and haven't stopped since. Tony Robbins teaches: never leave the scene of making a goal without taking an action step towards it. I think that's very sound advice.

#6. The sooner you start, the sooner you will reap the numerous benefits.

This is a no brainer, but it's worthy of stating. We all want the benefits, but don't want to do what's necessary to get them. The first sign of aging for me wasn't loss of hearing or eyesight. It was loss of mobility. When I turned my head to look behind me, it just didn't turn as far. It became uncomfortable. Still in my thirties and I started noticing this. For the first four months of practicing yoga we needed a strap to loop around our feet because we couldn't reach them. Does this sound familiar? Soon the straps were gone and we could touch our toes! The sense of accomplishment was tremendous but just as important was the increased mobility. It felt wonderful. We have both said on numerous occasions that we can't imagine what life would be like today without yoga. How would our bodies feel ( or ache) and also how would the stresses of everyday life be handled? I don't plan on finding out.

#5. Not only will you benefit, but everyone around you will also benefit.

When we have a better sense of balance in our own lives, and just plain feel better, it only makes sense that we can, and will have a positive impact on those around us.

It's the little things that make a big difference.

#4. Procrastinating only holds us back.

What excuse have you told yourself lately? Sometimes we are so good at rationalizing that even we begin to believe it. Whether it's yoga or something else that will bring you success,

Just Do It! ( haven't we all heard that before?)

#3. It has been said that if you have something you do everyday, it will enhance your longevity. Frequently when elderly people are interviewed about their secrets to long life you hear them say; Do something everyday. It might be take a walk, or play an instrument. Why not make it Yoga? Not only will you be able to enhance your longevity by doing something everyday, but you'll feel better as you age! I'm all for that!

#2. Increasing the Mind, Body, Spirit connection will give you a renewed sense of balance in your life. One thing I can say for sure from this experience of doing yoga everyday for the past 30 months is that my sense of awareness has been enhanced. Awareness is a broad term, but even something as simple as being aware that my body feels different one day than it did the day before is significant awareness. Here's one way of explaining this. I was fortunate enough in college to be accepted into the "Dance for majors" classes when I was not a Dance major. I took Jazz I, Jazz I for Dance majors, and Jazz II for Dance majors. I don't know how I pulled that off. All three semesters taught by the same Instructor. He was tough. I developed a little thicker skin during that time. He knew I had a passion for it, but obvious to both of us, I wasn't as good as the Dance majors. My favorite lesson that I learned from him and I still teach today is: "If you miss a workout one day, you will know it. If you miss two days in a row, your teacher will know it. If you miss three days in a row, your audience will know it". You become acutely aware of your bodies abilities, and disabilities, when you do yoga everyday.

And #1. (drum roll please) If not now.........WHEN?
Do I have to say anything else? It doesn't make any sense to say it would be better if I started tomorrow..... next month.....next year......whenever. So, if this sounds like something that resonates true to you, just make a decision, and DO IT! If you need a suggestion on where to start, go to www.amazon.com and look up "yoga for dummies" under DVD's. She gives you wonderful instruction on 12 postures. We did it with her 4 or 5 times then typed a list of the 12 to put on the floor in front of us, put our own music on and went from there. The DVD version has an added bonus. At the end you will receive instruction on the "Sun Salutation" series of postures. Very beneficial. So there you have it.
7 Great reasons to start Yoga Now.
Go for it, and let me know what your experiences are.
~ Namaste~ (translation: I bow to you)