Some how I missed it…
Just happened to walk right by it and only caught my attention when I heard “Namaste Yoggies” over the very loud tannoy booming around the Park.
It was a 2500+ gathering of men, women and children taking part in a very relaxing and great for your health, open air Yoga class.
A hot one too. It was 90 degrees plus in Grants Park, Central Chicago where I happened to be this last weekend gone.
Was there talking at a fitness industry seminar when I stumbled upon this epic yoga class.
Before the picture explanation and Yoga insight, a few things about Chicago first:
If you like to keep fit and be active, and love to be around people who are just the same, then you need to take a trip to the Windy City. It’s an exercise enthusiasts dream place to spend time.
Picture a huge lake, swimming lanes in it, cycle, running and walking tracks created around it, and parks aplenty where you’re encouraged to play things like soccer, basket ball and baseball until the wind picks up.
And NO sign anywhere of those huge rocks and boulders like what the local councils love to erect here in the UK to stop kids from playing or kicking balls, either.
In winter it’s freezing, yet all of this still goes on, and when the sun comes out, they add in a bit more.
Like open air Yoga classes.
Now, it’s true that Yoga is more popular and much more accepted in the big cities. As if it’s the trendy thing to do, even seen as “cosmopolitan” or maybe even considered a fad. But it really isn’t. And if you’ve ever thought about giving it ago, I’d strongly urge you to consider giving it a go.
And here’s why:
It’s a simple exercise routine that you can quickly learn to do on your own. Even just doing 20 minutes per day of the stretching and posture exercises involved will see a significant and positive difference in how healthy you look and feel.
And if you’re aged 40 or above, I’d go so far as to say there’s nothing more important that you should be doing daily, than a stretching programme such as the one you’ll learn at yoga.
Some of the top players in world football cite Yoga as the main reason they’re able to play on well into their late 30’s. Ryan Giggs being one of them, phil Neville another.
And it works because every day you wake up, you’re actually getting a little stiffer, and a tiny bit smaller. Nothing you’ll ever notice on a daily basis, but over time, it is creeping up on us all. And doing Yoga is one of the best ways to combat it.
Makes your muscles more flexible, your joints more supple and importantly, you less likely to suffer from things like neck and shoulder pain, lower back pain, hamstring injuries and even achilles pain.
Now, it might look a bit strange, as per the picture. And at first it might even feel a bit strange, but for most people I speak to about Yoga, once they’ve done it for 6 weeks, that’s it… They’re hooked on how great doing it regularly, even as little as 20 minutes per day, makes them feel.
I can speak from my own experience that if I do it first thing on a morning, my whole day seems to be all that bit easier. Give it a go and see how you get on.
There aren’t many people who won’t benefit from doing it, so chances are you will.
more fitness tips here: www.paulgoughphysio.com/sports-injury-clinic
You might know Paul as an expert Columnist who writes weekly health articles for TWO of the North East's biggest daily Newspapers, The Northern Echo And The Hartlepool Mail, he is a regular Speaker at Industry Seminars around the globe and a Radio Personality, often heard on the BBC. Paul has been an expert guest on dozens of Radio shows and regularly interviewed in newspapers, magazines and trade journals all over the world, including the Guardian.
Paul’s background included working extensively in the Premier League with a Top Professional Football Team, and since quitting his job in Professional Football in 2007, his Physio Practice has become the fastest growing in the UK and biggest in the North East. So successful, that companies like BUPA, ASDA, The Vela Group And Coast & Country, repeatedly retain his Physio company's services to keep healthy their own staff and workforce. Paul Gough Physio Rooms is now a large multi-physio, multi clinic speciality practice in Darlington, Durham, Guisborough and Hartlepool.
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