When I was fresh out of college and broke, yoga seemed like a luxury. But I was persuaded to purchase a handful of classes, and it was well worth the investment. At first, I found a way to continue taking classes despite the expense; even continuing them at a discounted rate in exchange for doing work around the studio. But eventually, I realized that yoga was actually saving me money. Here’s how:
1. Yoga prevents some physical pain expenses.
Whether it is chronic back pain from sitting at a desk or knee, hip or shoulder injuries from competing in sports or other physical activities, most people suffer from an injury or pain at some point in their lives. If you decide to ignore the warning signs, it often leads to back surgery, physical therapy or other pricey procedures. If you are in debilitating pain and you are no longer able to work out, you could develop high blood pressure and other illnesses that require expensive medications. Yoga is a preventative measure that helps to avoid health crises. When you practice yoga intelligently, it alleviates pain — and often inspires other healthy habits that change the trajectory of your health and how much you spend on it.
[See: 11 Ways to Cope With Back Pain.]
2. Yoga can lower mental health costs.
Bouts with depression or sadness can be more painful than any physical injuries. Coping with these challenges can mean seeing a therapist, taking medication and sometimes missing work. But by practicing yoga — even as a complement to these other treatments — you can access your mind and shift your mood quickly. Yoga helps you notice when you start feeling anxious or sad and, with training, that triggers you to pause and breathe, or to get up and move your body. Yoga philosophy also encourages you to focus on and value yourself, which can equip you to handle fluctuations in your mental states more efficiently.
[See: 10 Ways to Break a Bad Mood.]
3. Yoga helps avoid costly relationship decisions.
Yoga helps you gain mental clarity to pay attention to people you may have neglected both intimately and at your job. Practicing physically demanding poses with compassion, yet fierce determination, develops emotional fortitude — the same emotional strength needed to have a difficult conversation and admit when you are wrong, or to stand up for yourself and what you believe in. It gives you an awareness to make decisions like being honest with your partner about your money, or leaving a relationship when you know it will end in a painful and expensive divorce. Yoga also helps you age gracefully, which can help you avoid being a financial burden to your children.
4. Yoga provides financial clarity.
If you are not honest with yourself about your money, it’s easy to become negligent. Through yoga, you become disciplined by maintaining a vigilant focus on your movement. It is especially important to practice the poses you are not necessarily strong at. Over time, this skill helps you gain the courage to attack the things in life that challenge you the most — finances included. Yoga can also encourage you to stop and make simple changes in your daily expenses like going out, drinking or buying that extra coffee to get through the work day.
[See: How to Break 7 Unhealthy Habits.]
5. Yoga doesn’t have to cost a thing to begin with.
If you are stressed by the cost of yoga studio classes, there are plenty of options to practice on a budget. Check the schedule carefully at different studios. Some will often offer community or donation-based classes. Others might often offer a work-exchange or bartering program, through which you may be able to work a desk shift or tidy up the studio in exchange for free yoga. Search for local yoga events, pop-up classes and festivals. These are usually free and fun to connect with other like-minded people. There are an infinite number of free and low-cost yoga resources online. Just put on comfortable workout clothes and grab a mat. No matter your financial situation, yoga is accessible to you and it saves you money in the long run.
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Why Yoga Saves — Yes, Saves — You Money originally appeared on usnews.com
