DAY TWELVE (via LIVING The Self-Care Challenge, Oct. 6-26, 2010)

Yoga.

It’s intimidating and scary for some. It was for me.

But then we got a Wii and I suddenly was doing this in the privacy of my own home. I LOVED it. And I turned out to be much more flexible than I thought. My aches and pains faded, my need for coffee faded (as I was doing it right after rolling out of bed in the morning), and my body grew stronger and stronger the more I practiced my yoga. On days I did my yoga, just as with sleep, I was happier, peppier, stronger, and much less short-tempered with those around me.

Yoga, in a word, is miraculous.

I strongly recommend it for anyone needing to take some time for themselves.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a date with the crocodile pose.

(Please tweet my hubs, @daddysdown if I don’t tweet in about 15 minutes to let him know I’ve fallen asleep in the nursery, will you? Thanks so very much!)

A pat on the back for continuing this 21 day self-care challenge! The mind-body benefits of yoga are legendary, and documented with scientific research. Regular yoga practice helps handle the stress hormones: cortisol, norepinephrine, and epinephrine. Yoga decreases blood glucose levels, lowers heart rate and blood pressure, and boosts immune function. Frequent yoga workouts produce more GABA, a brain chemical that reduces anxiety and depression. … Read More