“For us at Yoga Journal, every month is yoga month. There isn’t a day that goes by when we’re not thinking about it, learning about it, writing about it, posting about it, or practicing it. And we’re guessing it’s the same for many of you. But during this year’s National Yoga Awareness Month, we wanted to take a step back to consider and celebrate some of the reasons why we all come to yoga.

Practice with us: Throughout September, we’ll be hosting live yoga classes and workshops with our favorite teachers on IG Live.

The many benefits of your yoga practice

Science has confirmed, time and again, the many health benefits of the physical practice of yoga. While there is value in this, much of yoga’s effectiveness lies in the less quantifiable way that the practice makes you feel: Strong when you press up into Plank or lift into Handstand, liberated when a twist offers release and relief, exhilarated the first time you lean forward into Crow.

Beyond the physical practice, you can turn to pranayama at any moment in your day to calm your jangled nerves. When things are unsettled in life, you can sit for just five minutes in meditation to help you find balance. And each day as you interact with others, there are ways to practice generosity, kindness, honesty, and all of the other essential qualities of being human that are at the root of yoga philosophy.

Whether you’re sweating it out in a hot yoga class, holding on to let go in Yin, or resting flat out in Savasana, your practice becomes an extension and an expression of who you are. Each visit to your mat is effectively practicing how you show up to life. Yoga’s greatest benefit may be in how it helps you be the person you want to be.”

Yoga Journal (https://www.yogajournal.com/practice/national-yoga-awareness-month-2022/)