Throughout high school I ran track and

cross-country. At Iowa State I tried out rugby and tennis and

participated in flag football, broomball and curling

intramurals.  I’m a competitive person to say the

least.  However, two and a half years ago I picked up

a new past time that has a reputation of being solely a personal

practice and completely non-competitive: yoga. 

My cousin, who is a yoga instructor here at

Iowa State, took me to a class my freshman year, and I was

hooked.  It was an intense workout and I appreciated

that, yet instructors tend to stress that yoga is for you and only

you. Instead of using other’s success as something that you have to

measure up to, use it as inspiration.  When my

instructor easily slips into the splits, it’s something that is

entirely possible for me to achieve one day.  When I

see Adrian Peterson slide past multiple defenders, I know there is

no way that I will ever be able to achieve that level of excellence

in football. 

But in yoga, along with anyone else that is

willing to stick to it, I almost certainly can achieve a head

stand, crow posture, the splits or numerous other

postures.  When  I suggest to people that

they should try yoga, I oftentimes get the excuse, “I’m not

flexible.”  But yoga has so much more to offer, and if

you’re not flexible now, it is guaranteed to improve after

continued practice. 

Yoga has a reputation of the “ohhhmmmmm”

approach.  Unless you’re specifically doing a

meditation class it has much more to offer than peace of

mind.  However, learning to listen to your body and

taking the time to let your mind slow down certainly has its

benefits of stress relief.  For athletes, getting to

know your body, what you feel, and how to make it feel better can

decrease injuries. 

In the last two years that I have been

attending yoga classes at Iowa State. I have enjoyed seeing the

demographic in my classes progressively change. 

Instead of a room full of women, some classes now have almost a

50-50 split.  Depending on what style you choose to

practice or which instructor you go to, the benefits can include

flexibility, balance, and strength. One of the most difficult

workouts I have ever done was nearly 2 hours of Ashtanga-style

yoga. It was equivalent to running and lifting weights all in the

same workout, and I had the sweat dripping off my face to prove

it.  The flexibility of the practice allows you to

change the work out to your skill level or desired

intensity. 

The benefits of yoga are widespread and they

are quickly becoming realized by many people who

workout.  Yoga can easily be a primary workout or

supplementary to any other activities.  Various hip

opening exercises such as pigeon, warrior I, and open downward dog

can remedy tight hips in runners; strengthening my triceps with

planks and push-ups have helped with my tennis game; and plank and

boat poses always help to strengthen that core, pull in your

muscles like a corset, and improve posture as well as trim a

midsection.  Moreover, ladies, according to various

sources, strengthening  your core and specifically the

pelvic floor can lead to more intense orgasms…

An instructor once told me that we practice

yoga to keep our mind strong.  We strengthen our body

so that our mind doesn’t have to worry about it.  By

taking the chance to improve both body and mind we can improve

every aspect of our lives, from school to health. So

try it out. Schedules for the ISU group fitness

classes can be found on the ISU Recreation Services

website.  Classes are offered also at the Ames Yoga

Center or Ames Progressive.