Let me start this article by publicly stating that I am not a yoga expert, nor am I anywhere close to being one. In high school I went to a few hot yoga classes with some of my friends here and there but it wasn't until college that I really started to practice yoga more frequently. My sophomore year of college my roommate and I both needed one extra credit hour to fill our schedules, so we decided to sign up for a yoga class together. Throughout a semester of yoga twice a week, I could see a lot of improvement in my poses, balance, and mental well being. After taking this course I began going to yoga once or twice a week with one of my friends, and although I am no professional, I still really enjoy it. Here are 5 reasons why I think everyone should begin practicing yoga:

1. Yoga helps your mental well being

Yoga is a very calming practice. Most teachers encourage you to leave all your troubles at the door and focus on being present in the moment. If you open yourself up to the relaxation portions of each class you will most likely walk away from each class feeling less stressed than when you walked in. Many scientific studies show that practicing yoga has helped people with their anxiety and depression.

2. Yoga helps strengthen your core

During most yoga classes, you will change positions often. Most positions require you to tighten your core. You won't truly notice how much you use your core during a yoga class until you come home from your first class already a tad sore.

3. Yoga helps increase your flexibility and balance

Yoga involves a lot of moves that stretch your muscles. A lot of moves also require balance. When I first started yoga I could hardly do poses that required good balance and flexibility such as the warrior 3 pose, or the tree pose. But with patience and lots of practice, I began to conqure these poses and my balance and flexibility has improved!

4. Yoga can be a great workout

Although yoga is known to be a relaxing form of excercise, it can also be quite the workout depending on what type of yoga class you take. My personal favorite yoga class is hot yoga. Its a great way to get a good sweat in!

5. Yoga is a great way to challenge yourself

There are many poses I have yet to master, but its always fun trying to learn them. Most teachers will give a modification option with each difficult pose they move to but I suggest at least attempting to push yourself to new limits! Practice makes perfect, right?

If you took the time to read this article, I hope you took something away from it. Whether you've dabbled with yoga before, you've never done it, or you consider yourself an expert, I really want to encourage everyone to practice yoga. There are so many great benefits to this ancient practice!