The Amazing Benefits Of Yoga for Techies, Women, Men, Cats and Babies

Everyday Yoga
I love yoga because of how I feel after I’m done. It’s one of the first things I do in the morning and when I skip it, my entire day often falls apart before my eyes. I know yoga is a good thing because you see many of the poses in nature.

Today, I sent out my list of local places in Minneapolis to do yoga by email and it’s about time I share it on the blog.

Yoga Center of Minneapolis
212 3rd Ave. N, Suite 205
Minneapolis, MN
Phone: 612-436-4700
Email: register@yogacentermpls.com
Google Map
Tip: My friend attends this one and received his yoga instructor certification here

Minneapolis Yoga Workshop
2637 27th Ave South, Suite 207
Minneapolis, MN 55406
Email: mplsyogaworkshop@hotmail.com
Phone: 612-253-5115
Google Map
Tip: Coupon for one free class

Core Power Yoga in Minneapolis
2930 Emerson Avenue S
Minneapolis, MN 55408
Phone: 612-822-9642
Email: membership@corepoweryoga.com
Google Map
Tip: One week of free classes

Note: Please let me know if you enjoy these places or have any problems.

Yoga Names
Many yoga poses have animal names like “downward dog”. These sorts of names are easier to remember, especially for children learning yoga. In most classes I’ve been to, the instructors repeat the names several times throughout the session so you have time to pick things up.

Do It Like The Animals Do
Nature reflects yoga as an essential survival tool. Watch your dog or cat and every time they wake up, they strech. We could be a lot healthier if we made notes.

The Widget Factory Has a Broken Cog
Humans weren’t meant to sit in a chair for 8+ hours a day so techies often suffer from repetitive stress injuries, back pain, neck pain, weight issues, eye strain and pulled muscles. I think people trapped in the Matrix had better exercise programs than most techies.

How many people do you know who work on their laptops like this?


or this?

And yes, I’ve heard leaning back is actually better than hunching forward but I’m talking about yoga today. I’ll save Ergo posture for another post.

Connecting Your Body and Mind Through Yoga
Thankfully, there’s relief from the pain and aches and it’s not in a bottle of ibuprofen or whiskey. By spending 20 minutes on yourself, you will start to experience that “inner calm” so many yoga folks seem to possess.

Yoga is Powerful
The act of yoga is very centering. It helps bring you back down to earth when everything seems to be rushing and swirling around you. I still remember the amazing feeling I had after my first yoga class. My entire body felt like it was “glowing”. I wanted more of that. Not every session will be great so give it at least 5 sessions to feel the effects.

You’re Not Alone
Yoga is a very social activity. You can travel just about anywhere in the world and find folks doing yoga. Once you get familiar with the poses, you can break out a yoga mat at home, in your hotel room, on the beach or at a gym and no one will give you a second thought.

Illness, Injury and Anxiety
What if you’re very ill or you’ve been in a car accident? Yoga is still for you! Many people think you need to be young and fit to do yoga when in fact, there are many poses that address these concerns. Always talk to your doctor before starting an exercise program. There, that’s my disclaimer.

My Story
I turned to yoga after a sprained ankle and bad ergonomics at work had my entire body jumbled. What started out as one month on crutches turned into horrible back and neck pain. I couldn’t even turn my head to check traffic for lane changes. It turned out my body had started to compensate for the sprain. My work chair and desk height were also contributing to the problem. After seeing a chiropractor and physical therapist, I realized that although I was thin, I wasn’t healthy at all. I failed many of the tests the physical therapist gave me which tested my strength. My legs and back were weak and my arms had a limited range of motion because I spent my workday typing away. I decided to incorporate yoga to build my core body strength. I started out with classes at the local YWCA which I enjoyed. After a few months, I began to explore other yoga options in the city and eventually found Chaz’s YogAmazing video podcasts on iTunes. He is an upbeat yoga instructor and his videos were nice an short. He started a website as well to sell his yoga video collections and I always recommend his videos.

Benefits of Yoga

• Fun
• Easy
• Low investment in time
• Low cost
• You can do yoga anywhere
• Group activity
• Increase your body’s strength
• Reduces anxiety and worry
• Rids your body of stress residue
• Increase your ability to focus
• Improve digestion
• Lose weight
• Tight, muscular “yoga butt”
• Something you can do at home

Myths, Bad Stuff and Stigma’s About Yoga

• It’s for weird people
• It’s only for women
• Guys don’t do yoga
• It’s boring
• You have to be very flexible
• You have to sweat in a room with people you don’t know
• It’s expensive
• You must injure yourself to make progress
• It doesn’t count as exercise