Traveling doesn't only have to be physical. Particularly now, as we are very limited in the places we can visit, it is a great alternative to explore our inner being. A good, proven way to do so, is through yoga and meditation.
As you need to do it regularly to get into it, I decided to practice these two methods every day for 2 weeks.
I choose to realize this through the guidance of some youtube videos, because it is a very nice and easy way to get introduced to it.
I had done some yoga before at uni and on my holiday in Bali and I had once watched a video about meditation but I didn't have a lot of experience.
First I tried out a German youtuber called Mady Morrison, which was recommended to me by my mother. I really liked her exercises, but for me the way she talked, felt ab bit too esoteric and I thought I might prefer an English teacher.
So after two days I discovered Bre with her account breathe and flow, which she shares with her partner. They both do yoga and meditation videos and I like her very neutral way of teaching.
The yoga sessions felt quite easy and the time went by really fast. I felt very good afterwards but didn't feel like having done a lot of sports.I was quite surprised the next day, when I woke up with sore muscles. I tried out some different styles of yoga like Vinyasa yoga, full body or power yoga.
They all helped me to calm down and after each yoga session I added a 5 to 15 minute meditation, depending on my mood.
My ability to concentrate on my breath and stop thinking, varied each day, but was often connected ,with how active I had been during the day.
Afterwards my mind felt really clear and it was much easier to organize my thoughts, than before.
I really like, that Yoga and meditation are all about doing something for oneself and it focuses on what feels good instead of what looks good. It helps relaxing your mind when your thoughts are circling in your head and to focus again on what is important.
As I regularly do sports, I had a bigger effect from meditation than from yoga and I am sure, that I will continue to use this method, when I have too much on my mind and I need to calm down. I also liked yoga, particularly that you train parts of your body, which aren't used that often. But I actually prefer feeling more exhausted after working out, so probably yoga will be a good alternative to my regular exercises, if I feel a bit lazy and want to be a little active anyway.
So I would really recommend you try out meditation as it can be really helpful to release stress and let go generally. I think in the situation we are facing because of covid-19 that is something really important, as it gives you a mental break from all of this.
And yoga is a good method for everyone to work out, as it has a lot of different levels, type of teachers and you can do it easily at home. It is physically not strenuous and you don't only do something for your body but also for your mind.
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