One of our yoga challenges included completing two sun salutations every day for one week. On the first day that I started this challenge I noticed that the yoga exercises calmed me and made me feel less stressed. On day two, I completed the sun salutations in the evening before I went to sleep. I found it to be a calming way to end the day. Some of my muscles were also sore. On day three, I chose to complete the sun salutations in the morning. I found it relaxed me, put me in a good mood and gave me some energy for the rest of the day. On day four I chose to do the sun salutations at night. I found this gave me time to reflect on my day. I missed the challenge on day 5 and did not complete the challenge exercises. I did however realize that yoga helped me sleep better when I did the sun salutations in the evening. On the last day of my challenge (day 6), I did the exercises in the evening. It gave me a chance to unwind and focus on my breathing and thoughts after a long stressful day.
Overall, I enjoyed practicing yoga in class as well as in my week long challenge. I found the breathing exercises to be beneficial in relaxing me. I feel that I will continue to use the breathing techniques that we were taught in my every day life to help calm me. I also, really enjoyed the sun salutations and twists that I practiced. I found that the twists relieved tension in my back and reduced stress. I want to continue to practice yoga in the future. I will try to use yoga as my stretches before I work out. This way, I can incorporate sun salutations and twists into my every day routine.
I agree. I practice them in the am, the pm, and before and after I work out. They are such comprehensive stretches that I am nearly never sore after a work out, and the calming sensation helps me to enjoy the benefits of my exercise more, too.
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