When I took a 7 am Biology class last fall, I would roll out of bed at 5, groggily stumble down the stairs, and roll out my yoga mat on the living room floor so that I could mumble insults at the impossibly flexible and annoyingly perky yoga instructors that I streamed through YouTube.
In other words, in the fall of 2014, I lost my mind.
If your husband knows that it’s best to delay pleasantries until after you’ve had your morning coffee, I don’t suggest doing yoga at 5 in the morning. If you can handle human interaction without a gallon of caffeine, go for it. Just…keep it down.
Of course there are cited benefits of doing yoga at virtually any time, including an overall reduction in cortisol and lower cholesterol. During 2015’s International Yoga Day, Narenda Modi – India’s Prime Minister – made claims that yoga can even be used to treat diabetes, although this claim is unproven. While it may not do much in the way of insulin control or production, there were probably plenty of even-keeled people following June 21st’s festivities.
In India alone, 35,000 people bent, turned, and twisted while taking part in the very first International Yoga Day, and celebrations also took place in the U.S, Japan, France, and South Korea. The worldwide celebrations certainly seemed to lend a hand to Modi’s hope that the day would usher in attitudes of peace. Although there was some controversy concerning the popular Sun Salutation pose leading up to the event, the day seemed to mostly go off without a hitch.
I can’t really recall if those early-morning yoga sessions made me any more peaceful or less stressed, but that’s likely because I’ve done my best to block that period of memory from my mind. However, whether it’s the yoga itself or just the act of engaging in physical activity, yoga at any other time does imbibe a sense of peace and calm in me.
Want to give yoga a try but don’t have access to a gym or studio that offers classes? Try out one of these helpful beginner videos on YouTube.
Caitlin is a writer and fr
eelance copyeditor who drinks way too much coffee and dreams of being an accomplished astrobiologist. Growing up in the Air Force, she ping-ponged around the U.S., across the Atlantic, and back only to start the process all over again with her husband. Now settled in Tucson, she writes for Virtue Marketing and can be found tweeting at @ifyoureadreamer, writing on her blog, or posting helpful articles for indie and self-published authors.
