Congratulations to our winners of the 40-day challenge – Building Resilience
Scroll down to read about the benefits of a regular yoga
First prize goes to Val Boag
Keeping restored and resilient by regular yoga classes including restorative yoga. Walking and swimming, spending time with family and friends, creating a good work/ life balance including time for reflection and gratitude for all that I have in my life.
Second prize goes to Robyn Peffers
Thanks for inviting us all to do the 40-day challenge. I’ve just reached my 12 classes, with a day to spare!
Yoga is definitely my major “restorer”. It has helped make me stronger, more flexible, and relaxes me after a hard day’s work. I always leave the room feeling better for having taken part in the practice, and along with all that, I’ve met some fabulous people! Other ways I restore are by letting myself have a sleep in on weekends and sitting down with a good book to read on a Sunday afternoon.
Being resilient has come with maturity. Life’s experience has taught me that we all get some good and some bad in our lives, and staying resilient and having a positive outlook will often get you through the harder times more quickly.
A special thanks to you, Arvinderfee, for being a wonderful teacher and giving us “Yoga with a Smile”
Third prize goes to Ali Fitch
Why 40 days?
It takes only a few minutes a day over a consistent time to make big changes. It also helps the brain.
“It takes 40 days to break a habit; 90 days to gain the new habit; 120 days and you are the habits;
1,000 days you are Master of it.” -Yogi Bhajan
Yogi Bhajan the founder of Kundalini yoga, taught that it takes 40 days of consecutive practice to create a different pattern of being for yourself; “He said it will take 40 days to break a habit; then it will take 90 days to gain the new habit; so over 120 days you become the habit; 1,000 days to Master of it.” Yogi Bhajan, taught us to practice a kriya/meditation for 40 days – without interruption – this technique impoves the flow of energy. After another 50 days, taking you to 90, we find we have gained. After years of consistent practice, I know that the regular repetition of the same yoga meditation does create great results.
Yoga has shown to boost the brain too
Eleven participants received weekly, hour-long memory training sessions and performed exercises ranging from crossword puzzles to computer-based
How yoga protects your brain as you age
written by Meena Azzollini
Studies have suggested that yoga has greater health benefits than aerobics and that yoga practitioners show greater awareness, attention and memory, while older adults with mild cognitive impairments have shown improvements after a short yoga training program.
But what would long-term yoga practice due to the brain and can it offset some of the changes that take place in the ageing brain?
To try to answer this question, Brazilian scientists recruited 21 female hatha yoga practitioners (yoginis) who practised yoga at least twice a week for a minimum of eight years. The researchers then compared these participants with 21 other participants who had never practised yoga, meditation or other contemplative practices.
All the participants combined were from a similar age group of 60 years and above and had similar levels of physical activity. The scientists only recruited women for consistency and all participants were asked to fill out a survey to understand if other factors might affect brain structure like depression or level of formal education.
The scientists then examined each participant’s brain structure using magnetic resonance imaging.
They found that the yoginis’ brain structure was different from the other participants who didn’t practise yoga. The prefrontal cortex in the yoginis’ brains was significantly thicker, suggesting that long-term yoga practice can change the brain structure and potentially protect against cognitive decline in old age.
It seems that the brain develops through yoga training, protecting us from cognitive decline as we age. So roll out your yoga mat and start practising yoga and benefiting from it immediately!
Source: Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience
Experience the benefits yourself with these great classes:
