It is basically an app that allows me to subscribe to mainstream magazines as e-magazines that I can read on my iPad / iPhone...although not all publications can be read on the iPhone, so it is best if you have an iPad.
I decided that I should start reading more about yoga instead of blindly attempting to write about it and, after a few minutes of deliberation, subscribed to Yoga Journal - a magazine that I have actually contemplated buying at the newsstand.
The much cheaper price-tag was certainly a motivating factor, with most magazines surprisingly cheaper bought / subscribed to on Zinio than at the newsstand! I was pleasantly surprised.
I came across this article that I strongly relate to and that serves as a good reminder of why I am an advocate of yoga.
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| Article from the September 2011 issue of Yoga Journal. |
About five years ago I was suffering from terrible backaches caused by piercing pain in my lower back.
Some days this pain would cause me sleepless nights as even lying down on my bed wouldn't make the pain go away.
During the day the pain often caused me to be grumpy and snappish, and it most definitely was a damper to my energy levels and mood in general.
I was only 23 years old, and my mom lamented that it was unusual for someone so young to have such chronic backaches. She worried about how much worse it would get with age.
I would say that the backaches were a result of a combination of a really bad scoliosis, bad posture, a pretty unhealthy lifestyle of excessively late / sleepless nights and partying, an addiction to tottering around in skyscraper high heels (which I still do, but now am sensible enough to switch to flats if anticipating long bouts of walking / standing) and a lack of exercise.
Thankfully my friend and then colleague YJ introduced me to Fitness First and together we went for my first yoga class with Dr. Kajal - at Fitness First in Capital Tower.
I still remember that day. I could not touch my toes. I could barely touch the floor. I would topple over during ever balancing pose. That relatively moderate class of yoga left me breathless. I was decidedly UNHEALTHY.
I was also stick thin and weighed 39kg, so I was constantly told that "you can afford it" (with regard to eating fatty / junk food) or "don't need to exercise la!!".
Such is the complacency of youth.
So, given that my skinny exterior did not motivate me to exercise - if not for peer pressure (thank you YJ!) and (more so) for the fact that after just two sessions of yoga I realized a significant reduction to the pain in my lower back - I would probably not have bothered to exercise.
That would have been a monumental personal disaster if you ask me. I cannot even imagine the state my back would have been now if not for yoga. I cannot imagine the pain and (more frequent :P) mood swings I as well as those who love me would have had to endure - I thank God that I found a solution.
Today, as I edge dangerously close to thirty, I notice that many of my friends are beginning to get aches and pains. Despite my scoliosis, I dare say that I'm in a much better, painless, state than most.
My advice always is:
- Yoga, or any exercise that strengthens and stretches your back. Pilates is awesome too I suppose.
- Sit up straight and watch that back. I truly believe that a healthy spine is the key to retaining your body's youth and vitality.
- Being "naturally skinny" is no excuse to be lazy.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Greenleaf, Singapore
