By Sam Gillespie
I recently visited Bali over the new year’s period and, while some cocktails were consumed, the latter half of my trip was spent in the quieter area of Ubud, a town surrounded by rainforest and rice paddies known for its traditional crafts and dance.
It was in Ubud that I tried yoga for the first time, as the rain pitter-pattered on the shelter at our villa, overlooking rice fields of a lush green.
I know that I lack flexibility and strength – I struggle to even cross my legs, giving me a disadvantage from the start – and this experience truly highlighted that, but it also highlighted how frequently practising yoga can improve these abilities.
It was through poses like Downward Facing Dog, Warrior poses, Extended Side Angle and my feeble yet spirited attempts at more difficult poses like Forearm Stands and Formidable Face Poses that I realised the glaring benefits of yoga.
Our friendly and flexible instructor, Ambara, guided us through these poses with grace and encouragement, his movements a testament to how yoga can improve one’s body.
Physical benefits of yoga can include increased flexibility, increased muscle strength and tone, improved respiration, energy and vitality, maintaining a balanced metabolism, weight reduction, cardio and circulatory health, improved athletic performance and protection from injury.
Similarly, there is a meditation and breathing element to yoga that can help improve one’s mental wellbeing.
The calming effects of yoga were amplified by my setting, with regular yoga practice creating mental clarity and calmness, increased body awareness and a state of relaxation.
I worked up a far bigger sweat than I was expecting, giving my upper body the most intense workout I’m sure it’s received in a long time.
It was an eye-opening experience and one that has inspired me to take up yoga more regularly, with the innumerable benefits all things I could do with more in my life.
