Last updated on January 27th, 2023 at 09:37 am
So, I’m currently on a mission to come up from a crow pose into a really strong handstand…
And, if we’re being honest with each other, I’d even like to master it all the way from the seated (cross-legged) position as well.
You guys may know that we just recently released our Jedi Path which revolves around yoga and meditation for The Academy, and I’m stoked to finally have it in there for you guys.
For that reason, I’m writing this article, obviously – but we’ve also been seeing tons of other celebs that swear by yoga as well.
If you look back, aside from the countless others we’ve seen use it, we most recently analyzed Jennifer Aniston, Robert Downey Jr. and Evangeline Lilly, who all swear by their yoga.
And, I’m here to try and sell you on the yoga movement we’re currently in as well.
You all may remember when I used to suggest utilizing a yoga app for your phone in order to get your fix. Well, unfortunately many of them have swapped to wanting monthly payment plans, which is another huge reason we released our own program (aka Path) and plan on releasing more and more videos as well.
So, sit tight and find out why it’s currently all the rage at SHJ.
Start With The “Why”…
So, why do people do yoga?
I want to start by sharing something from Huffington Post about the “why”, before I even get started with everything I personally want to tell you.
In their article they say:
More than 90 percent of people come to yoga for flexibility, stress relief, health, and physical fitness. But, for most people, their primary reason for doing yoga will change. Two-thirds of yoga students and 85 percent of yoga teachers have a change of heart regarding why they do yoga — most often changing to spirituality or self-actualization, a sense of fulfilling their potential. Yoga offers self-reflection, the practice of kindness and self-compassion, and continued growth and self-awareness.
Yet the health benefits are very real. Yes, yoga can increase your flexibility, improve your balance, and decrease your cholesterol. A recent review in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology shows that yoga reduces the risk of heart disease as much as conventional exercise. On average, yoga participants lost five pounds, decreased their blood pressure, and lowered their low-density (“bad”) cholesterol by 12 points. There is vast growing body of research on how yoga improves health problems including chronic pain, fatigue, obesity, asthma, irritable bowel syndrome, and more.
I mean, c’mon, are you not ALREADY sold on this?
That’s some pretty awesome stuff right there.
We know we have to start with our own “why” when we’re getting into fitness and starting our SuperHuman transformations, but this takes it to a new level.
Our “why” is generally a good start because it helps us with motivation, and also deciding our goals for the future. And, as we know, goals are huge! That’s why we have over 15 different sequences to choose from in The Academy between all the paths and classes.
Still not sold? I’m going to tell you a lot more, but here’s something else from the article before we move on:
A May 2015 study published in the Frontiers in Human Neuroscience uses magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain to show that yoga protects the brain from the decline in gray matter brain volume as we age. People with more yoga experience had brain volumes typical for much younger people. In other words, yoga could protect your brain from shrinking as you get older.
The protection of gray matter brain volume is found mostly in the left hemisphere, the side of your brain associated with positive emotions and the relaxation response. Emotions like joy and happiness have exclusively more activity in the left hemisphere of the brain on positive emission tomography (PET) brain scans. The left hemisphere is also linked to the parasympathetic nervous system, the “rest and digest” network responsible for relaxation.
This “neuroprotective” effect of yoga has also been found in brain imaging studies of people who meditate. In some regions of the brain, 50-year-old meditators were found to have the gray matter volume of 25-year-olds. These changes to the brain can occur within a few months. One study found brain changes after only eight weeks of a mindfulness-based stress reduction program. The regions of the brain responsible for learning, memory, cognition and emotional regulation showed growth. In contrast, the areas of the brain responsible for fear, anxiety, and stress shrank.
Yes, another score for yoga and meditation, AKA…The Jedi Path.
But, let’s keep this fun going, shall we?
What about the rest of those good things we want?
I started this post by trying to “WOW!” you a bit, but it’s okay to take a step back and look at the rest of the reasons as well.
The article we analyzed a minute ago did start with:
More than 90 percent of people come to yoga for flexibility, stress relief, health, and physical fitness.
So, maybe we can go back to that.
I’m pretty sure we like things like strength, toning, flexibility, physical fitness, weight loss, and core strengthening…right?
Well, category one is going to be me talking a bit about that.
Yoga will help you with all of the above.
Not only that, but I’ve found that adding it into my mornings is an amazing way to start my day. It’s actually got to the point where I don’t feel as loose as I normally would if I don’t get in that 15-60 minutes in the morning.
Nearly all the movements in yoga are also working your core. So, while your getting flexible, you’re also strengthening your core and getting ready to show off a SuperHuman six pack.
Who wouldn’t want that?…
And, as we know, cutting weight is also very contingent on nutrition and calories, so the extra calories we burn with the use of yoga is also helping us lose the fat as well.
Throw that in with the toning, flexibility and core strength, and we’re off to a great start.
No wonder 90 percent of the people who start yoga shoot for these things…
I’ve also learned that these movements are incredible for people who are looking to utilize gymnastic styled movements as well.
I train utilizing the bonus Nightwing Path (aka Minimalist Path) which features Nightwing styled training, utilizing gymnastics and calisthenics.
Pairing that with my daily yoga fix has been absolutely amazing.
The strength gain mixed with the flexibility and balance that I’ve been seeing is far more than I thought would come on this quickly, and I’m able to already do movements I thought would be far into the future.
Oh, and another crazy thing? I’ve worked out for years and years, as you guys know from my about page. So, when I go to the gym (even if it’s after any amount of time off), I generally don’t get sore anymore (also even after a grueling workout aka the next day…still usually nothing). BUT, after a full sixty minute session of yoga, the next day my muscles are definitely feeling it.
It seems to work muscles I didn’t even know I had, and was not capable of hitting the same way with the weight training I normally am used to using.
Oh, and let’s not forget sleep and stress relief…
I always tend to put these two things together.
Sleep has an incredible impact on our bodies stress levels, and also the way we’re able to recover – so it’s only fitting that I do this.
I’ve talked about both of these things in great detail in numerous other articles, actually.
Well, now that I’ve said that, I guess it only makes sense if I give you a nice list of them if you’d like to further your research, eh?
Here’s some more articles for you to take advantage of:
- Recover like Daredevil Meditation and Increase Test Levels with Sleep
- How to Stop Food Cravings: Ways to Fight the Urge and Keep Away the Sweets, Carbs and Snacks
- The Superhero Workout: How to Train like a SuperHuman
As you can tell I’m also pairing yoga and meditation, which also tend to generally go hand-in-hand with each other.
Both yoga and meditation are incredible for stress relief as they’re focused around finding your center, being present, relaxing in the moment, remembering to breathe, and gaining a sense of inner calm.
All of this comes back and also effects our sleep in a positive way.
And, if we’re effecting our sleep positively (and also our stress, obviously), then we’re also in turn effecting our overall transformations positively as well.
It’s something that many people neglect because it does take work. And, as we know, extra work can easily be put to the side with our already “stressful” lives.
See what I did there?
Sleep and stress relief have a viscous cycle for us to be aware of. When we’re less stressed, we sleep better, and when we sleep better we’re less stressed.
For this reason and clearly more, incorporating yoga and meditation into our weekly routines can serve as a way to amplify many other things we’re looking to get not only out of our physical self, but also out of life.
I mean, that was pretty deep…
Is there more than that?
Is there more than that?There is.
There is more than that.
There are many things that yoga will bring out of you that you had no idea were there prior. Things like weight management, flexibility, core strength, and the other things we named that come out as “the obvious reasons” are just the beginning. There are also many things that yoga will bring out of you that you will have to find out on your own.
Yoga can reduce stress and in turn inflammation, which goes into this overall stress relieving theme we’re on, but it can also lead to more self confidence.
The point is, it can result in things that don’t always correlate to what we immediately think of.
Alright, alright, I’ll give you some more smaller examples to really get you there (just in case I didn’t already sell you).
Yoga is also known to improve:
- concentration
- breathing
- your overall attitude
- how gratifying things in your life can be
- your posture
And, that’s just naming a few!
So, obviously this goes without saying, but if you’d like to join us in The Academy, we’ve added The Jedi Path to make it an even more diversified option for all of our SuperHumans in The SHJ Army!
I hope to see you in there.
#####
Mike
SHJ’s Nick Fury
Join The Superhero Academy and start unleashing your inner SuperHuman.
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