Jenn's Mindless Musings: Yoga

So...my career is a little bit on the stressful side (understatement of the year...). Along with that I have a husband and daughter/house to take care of, five churches to work with, and the list could go on and on. On the days I get home from work at a reasonable time I am usually mentally and physically exhausted and want to shut the world out. But, I also come home a little stressed and anxious and it can take me several hours to unwind and concentrate on other things outside of the kids I had taken into custody that day, the long meetings that zapped the life out of me, or wondering if a child I had just interviewed was really indeed safe...

One thing I was taught all through undergrad and graduate school (as well as the information I gained through a 10 month long graduate research project!) was self care. Since starting in the social work field, I have been able to identify what my triggers are to stress and what specific things I can do to reduce that stress. During undergrad and graduate school/work I was able to do gymnastics and other sports to keep me in shape and stress free. Since moving out to the middle of no where without my beloved gymnastics gym readily available, I've had to get creative. Other than the last two weeks (I have been a little on the lazy/exhausted side, opting out to going to bed as soon as I'm done with dinner..) I am pretty good at keeping up with a work out routine. I have multiple work outs that I do through the week to help me stay in shape and stress free. I usually will work out for about 40-50 minutes and then end the work out with 20 minutes of yoga. Up until a few months ago I never really got into yoga. I would do it from time to time but didn't get serious about it. But let me tell you! In the last 6 months I don't know how I could keep my blood pressure down and the grey hairs away without my yoga! The best part is, is that I can do it from the convenience of my home and wear anything I like when I'm doing it :)

Below are three of the yoga videos I use. Each of the videos are approximately 20 minutes long. The thing I like about these videos is the people demonstrating the yoga give you a modified version. If you are looking for a more challenging or easier way to do the poses, they have people demonstrating this. The person leading the yoga videos has a calming voice and helps you focus on your breathing. The three videos below are from the same person who uses vinyasa yoga. Vinyasa yoga is a vigorous yoga exercise that focuses on strength and flexibility. I don't always do this lady's yoga videos but I like that she gives options on what type of yoga to use when you want to focus on specific parts of the body. I was unable to find and upload the video that I use frequently. For some reason my Blogger could not find the video! It's one of my favorites that focus on core and quads. If you are interested in doing more of this lady's videos I would suggest going to youtube and finding them.