Stress is being called the next big health crisis. More people today get back surgery than coronary bypasses or hip replacements. Study after study shows that a little bit of yoga goes a long way, and our efforts add up over time. UCLA researchers found that yoga helps alleviate pain and anxiety. At the University of Illinois, researchers found that yoga helps the brain work better, while Duke scientists concluded that yoga helps people sleep better. Ohio State researchers found that yoga reduces inflammation, and Taiwanese researchers found that yoga teachers have healthier spines.
Happy-Go-Yoga is my playful, witty take on traditional yoga, designed for people who don’t have time for—or simply don’t do—yoga. Even the biggest skeptics (and I was one of them) can do just a little at a time and start to experience the benefits. Our lives are more amped than ever before. We can’t rely on just pills, doctor’s visits, cocktails, or watching television to relax!
All you have to do is start with one Happy-Go-Yoga pose, just one, and see where that takes you. Do it to feel good, or do it to shift your mood. I’m telling you, it’s fun, and you’ll feel better.
If you’re new to yoga, I recommend chatting with your doctor to sort out your own personal health situation first. Yoga is not a panacea or cure-all, but if you believe my story and many years’ worth of stories, it helps on many levels.
You’ll find that you can do just about every pose in Happy-Go-Yoga, and so can your mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, sister, brother, daughter, son, aunt, uncle, boss, coworker, BFF, bus driver, and neighbor. You might do Happy-Go-Yoga together. You might share a tip or two with someone you don’t quite know as well (it’s good karma)!
In the book’s pages, each Happy-Go-Yoga pose is a mix of some very useful things: a potential situation in our daily lives, traditional yoga teachings, and brief nuggets of health knowledge gathered from my own experience, my studies, my teachers, many doctors, medical research, and health experts.
I suggest two easy ways to work Happy-Go-Yoga into your life:
A bit of lower-back relief can make you a little less cranky toward everyone in the office (especially when the boss seems to be cranky for unknown reasons). A specific way of breathing can keep you from going crazy when there are just too many people around (story of my life in New York City). A type of hand gesture (not what you think) can help you invite a little more love into your life. A certain way of standing can inspire you to feel more confident when it counts (like right before a job interview). If you can relate to the real-life scenarios on each page, just follow the directions and illustrations.
Many of the poses do not need to be location- or situation-specific. If you know you need to feel less stressed quickly, you can look for the “De-stress” label throughout the book to find the right poses for you. Need relief from aches? Look for “Relieve” labels; there are poses for that. Need to be focused? Find the “Focus” label.
■ De-stress: Quickly reduce your anxiety, frustration, or fear
■ Relieve: Give your brain and body relief from pain or discomfort
■ Relax: Soothe, unwind, and feel comforted
■ Strengthen: Firm and tone parts of the body
■ Empower: Feel more confident and self-assured
■ Balance: Feel steady physically, mentally, and spiritually
■ Calm: Be mellow and unruffled by challenge
■ Love: Be more affectionate and intimate with yourself and others
■ Brighten: Get uplifted and more positive
■ Connect: Link more authentically with yourself and others
■ Refresh: Energize your body and awaken your mind
■ Focus: Be less distracted and more present and productive
■ Inspire: Encourage yourself and motivate others with your spirit
You can do all of the poses or some of them. You can share them with others and be the mini health hero in someone else’s day. Some of the poses are not obvious body shapes, but things you do intentionally to cultivate a yogi state of mind. Remember: Some of the more subtle shifts are the most powerful.
And look for these on every pose page, too:
■ Tip: An extra little bit of information that might help you in the pose
■ Bonus: Another version that adds variety or a degree of difficulty to the pose
■ Note: An FYI about things that could come up during the pose
■ Extra Karma: Small things you can do to share your Happy-Go-Yoga moment
You’ll get the most out of Happy-Go-Yoga if you’re optimistic and open to the possibility that you can change your life by learning how to move and breathe consciously, one day at a time. Even if you’re a skeptic, try being just a tiny bit open to the possibility. Happy-Go-Yoga might surprise you! If you’re open to anything, put Happy-Go-Yoga in your bag right now and use it everywhere. We made it small, light, and portable for that reason.
So go—do some yoga your way, anywhere, anytime. Feel better more often. Devote yourself to you. Each day, you might be a little more happy-go-lucky with Happy-Go-Yoga in your life!