This post is by Claudia Azula Altucher of Claudiayoga.com.

I was completely intrigued by Ashtanga yoga at first sight, starting with its brutal schedule, but also including its lack of poetry (no “feel the Earth’s energy flow through you” was ever heard in a class) and the mythological superstitions that some forms of yoga employ.

As the years went by and the practice deepened, I fell in love with it hopelessly and for many reasons. Here are some.

1. It’s no-nonsense

Ashtanga yoga plays no games. When I say it has a brutal schedule, I mean it. It is practiced six times a week for at least 1.5 hours. Rest days are Saturdays, full-moon days, and “ladies holidays”. Men have no holidays, sorry! The routine which one practices is pre-set and is called the primary series, which is a set of poses designed to release all toxins and heal the body at its gross level.

At first the practice felt very competitive, which for my western mind was a good carrot on a stick. I wanted to be better, to advance fast, to move to the intermediate series of poses (there are six that grow in intensity). Little did I know how long it would take me to perfect the primary series, how much dedication and discipline it takes, and also that it is not about the next pose, but rather about the amazing changes that the practice brings into the practitioner’s life.

The Guru of Ashtanga yoga, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois said: “Do your practice and all is coming.” I have found this to be a great incentive, and also a deep truth. The “all” in that statement really means all The “do your practice” means more than just the practice of the poses. It means learning to connect with spirit. The rest simply comes—it’s almost like magic.

2. It’s portable

When I first started practicing I had a demanding corporate job that required travel throughout Europe. I would be in London one week and in Spain the next one. I also traveled to Buenos Aires very often. Yet, because the practice is set, it is easy to simply roll out the mat wherever one is in the world. There is no need to find a teacher (although I did that too—and for fun).

I’m known for “doing it” in very odd places. I have performed the whole primary series in my brother’s terrace, and to the curious eyes of thousands of windows above me; in an inborn flight within the kitchenette area and until whenever the flight attendants kicked me out; and in Dubai airport while waiting for the next plane to Bangalore.

3. It is a breathing practice

Breathing is the most important and relevant thing within the practice. There’s no pause: one keeps breathing and flowing from one pose (asana) to the next, and the body is constantly moving while riding the breath.

Starting the day with such awareness of the breath has proven very helpful for my remaining waking hours. For example, I began to notice while in difficult corporate meetings that I could stop the talking and focus on the breathing. Just take a small pause, not a long one obviously, and take one long breath. This, believe it or not, has a psychological effect by which one seems to come across as centered—and that was what I was trying to do (get centered). I have found that by just breathing and not saying anything for, say, three to five seconds, problems have either solved themselves or disappeared.

4. Every single practice is a full body and mind workout

Each class is called a Mysore class because of its birth place in the city of Mysore, in South India. They are self-lead, meaning that one arrives and puts the mat out and starts, and nobody leads (except for specifically designated led classes once a week).

These Mysore classes can get really hot, especially when the rooms are crowded, it is summer, or you are in a tropical place. It is also hard, the poses are not easy, and there is nothing poetic about it. It is what it is, and one deals with it. Perspiration goes hand in hand with daily practice, and it is best to make peace with it, and do some research on good deodorants. I found the learning curve, although steep, very controlled, because a teacher will only add poses one by one, when the student is ready.

Ashtanga yoga is also a metaphor for life. I have noticed that just by attempting a difficult position like kurmasana, I would then dare to do challenging things in life, like planning a trip to India by myself, going for an extended silent meditation retreat, or trying to be kinder to all people.

5. It helps the body relax deeply

Through the new flock of friends Ashtanga brought into my life I learned about the Castor Oil bath. This practice is said to have so many benefits that if you were to believe them all, you’d think it is a potion that comes straight from the Gods.

The main benefit is in the heat that the oil produces in the body, and every time I bathe I feel the warmth. It feels almost as if I had a suit on me that is trapping, extracting, and then releasing impurities. Further benefits among others are the reduction of pain and inflammation, and a healthy glow. It is secrets like this one—traditions that in India have been passed around for generations—that opened my eyes to a completely different way of caring for the body.

6. It gave me the answer

At the most recent conference I attended in Mysore with the head of the lineage (Sharath Jois), I was surprised to see that for every question the students had, the answer was always the same, “do yoga.” Yes there are variations depending on the question, but the main focus is always brought back to this.

“Do yoga” does not just mean do the poses, it means being in touch with the divine within, it means self reflection, noticing where my intentions are, and what is it that I really want in life. It means noticing the areas where I am hoarding, weather it be energy, or possessions, and noticing where I am being truthful in my relationships and where I create intrigue just for self-satisfaction. “Do Yoga” means purifying every action I do.

In daily life, this has a profound effect. I notice for example that if I lose inspiration on what to write about, or I need guidance on how to handle a situation with my husband, it is by “coming back to spirit”, reflecting, and noticing what I am doing with my energy that brings the best answers.

7. It brought me to India

Any Ashtangi that enjoys the practice is eventually brought to its place of birth in Mysore, South India. The Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute is located on a quiet street in the neighborhood of Gokulam, which is another planet, yet has some of the western comforts as it caters to the myriad of students that pour into it year after year to study at the source.

Coming to India worked within me as a restart button. It allowed me to see a whole different culture, to be bathed in colors, chants, smells, foods, and things that were completely different to anything I had seen before, and hence served as an inspiration. I am writing this article from my second trip, while staying in the household of an Indian family, and I sure hope I will be returning soon.

Practicing at the source, with the main teachers in the lineage, and knowing that they are watching makes people try harder, go a little deeper, focus on the practice (and I do not mean just the asana). So when I return home I feel like I have done more than one month of work.

8. It helped me understand the power of the word

Perhaps the biggest lesson I have learned through yoga is the power of the word. Yoga teaches us to cleanse the body and the mind, so that we can eventually see the shinning light that was within us all along but we had kept covered with dust.

The way we word things is one of those areas that needs immediate purification. Words are powerful, they cast spells, they provoke emotional reactions, they can hurt or nurture others, they can bring peace or discomfort.

A few weeks ago in one of my articles I had a very sarcastic comment from a reader, and I realized that I had a choice, I could continue the hurt by being rude or I could do something different. I replied to his comment by saying two things: one, that I got the sarcasm, and two, that I liked the way he wrote. He was indeed a good writer, he was just using the power of the word in an attempt to hurt. Perhaps the yoga was working for me as I was able to put the attention on what was good about him—the writing—and deflecting the negativity by just acknowledging it.

9. I released 30 pounds and never saw them again

Perhaps a better wording for that would be that I came into my ideal weight, and it was not done by following a diet or any kind of program, or being tough or firm. No, it actually all started by learning to love myself in a rather gentle way.

I used Louise Hay’s exercise, by which one looks into a mirror and says “I love you”. In the beginning I felt very out of sorts, stupid almost. Do you know why? Because I did not believe it. After a while, however, I came to the understanding that maybe I was worth of my own respect, maybe I was deserving of my own love.

I find that loving myself was the first step in bringing about many important changes in my life, not just attaining my ideal weight, but also getting clear about relationships, using my time and energy more effectively, considering the possessions I had which I did not really need, and discerning what good friendships meant.

10. I went down the rabbit hole

As titillating as it is to watch long-term practitioners perform difficult poses, the really amazing part of the practice for me has come through seeing the changes it brought in my life and how they manifested. Coincidences these days fill my days to the point where it feels like a science fiction novel—I follow clues from the plates of cars, images, things I hear, and so on. Clues about the right direction come to me, and I am blessed to be open enough to listen. This happens, of course, as long as I keep the connection with God (however it is that I understand it) alive.

This is what, for me, makes yoga a practice rather than a workout, it has a spiritual deep connection and an element of surrendering and surprise that keeps me wondering and in awe. It is magical.

Have you ever tried yoga in any form? What was your experience of it? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Claudia Azula Altucher has studied yoga for over a decade and all over the world including the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute in Mysore, India, and at Centered Yoga in Thailand. She writes daily at Claudiayoga.com.

This post is by Jason Fitzgerald of Strength Running.

Distance running inspires the joy of movement, freedom, and celebration of health. The simple act of putting one foot in front of the other is hypnotic, peaceful, and a powerful form of meditation. Many runners do their best thinking while out running, when they think of nothing but what’s important to them.

Running is what I love to do every day. It makes me feel alive and healthy. Running provides a powerful shot of adrenaline that too many people go without in our modern times. When was the last time you confidently ran over a wooded trail, thinking of nothing but the sounds of nature?

Being able to enjoy running is a precious gift that shouldn’t be taken for granted. It’s true: running can be hard on your joints, as every step shoots impact forces of 1.5–3 times your body weight through your legs. Overuse injuries are common in runners, as more than half of them are injured every year.

It doesn’t have to be this way. You can enjoy running with simple preventative exercises and an approach that emphasizes strength, efficiency, and recovery.

A stronger runner is a better runner

Runners usually have big engines—they need to, in order to run so much! Your engine is your endurance or your aerobic capacity; it’s what enables you to keep running farther than your couch-potato friends.

As you cruise along enjoying the freedom of running, you’re going to need strong legs to help you continue running without injuries. To stay healthy and keep getting as much joy from running as possible, the right strength exercises are a must.

The best strength workouts for runners focus on the basics: compound, multi-joint exercises that train movements (not muscles). Squats, dead lifts, different types of lunges, and hay bales with a medicine ball are my favorites for the lower legs. For your upper body, focus on the bench press, pull ups, military press, chin ups, and dips. Don’t get fancy: get basic.

Run correctly to run easily

There is definitely a right way to run. If you’re over-striding, landing on your heel, or bent too far at the waist then you’re asking for an injury that could prevent you from running for days or weeks. Let’s prevent that—I want you to be able to run every day.

The five best strategies for running effortlessly include having a stride rate of about 180 steps per minute, landing underneath your center of mass, keeping your back tall, running quietly with no foot stomping, and landing on your midfoot.

Don’t try to change your running stride all at once—work on one thing at a time. When you’re comfortable running with a faster cadence, then you can practice another aspect of good running form. Put it together and you’re going to be more efficient and less injury-prone.

Healthy runners are mindful runners

Being mindful of your body is the most important aspect of enjoying the freedom of running. As you run day after day, are you being conscious of how your body is feeling? Take care to avoid the “three toos” of distance running: too much, too soon, too fast.

Increasing your running volume or intensity too quickly can put you at a higher risk for injury that would require you to take time off. Exercise good judgment with introducing a new training stress into your running. Judge how you feel after every run. Take a day off or run more slowly if you need to. Use my motto if you like: “You have to live to run another day.”

Running is a gift—a celebration of vitality that enables us to connect with ourselves on a deep level. By exercising some caution with training increases, skill in running form, and prevention with strength exercises you will virtually injury-proof your body.

Enjoy running for what it is: a powerful expression of what your body is capable of. It’s fun, isn’t it?

Jason Fitzgerald (or Fitz) is the founder of Strength Running, a 2:44 marathoner, and online running coach. He loves running the trails, strong coffee, and cycling. Strength Running unleashes Fitz’s passion for helping runners achieve their best and prevent running injuries. Subscribe to get instant updates from Strength Running.

January is an exciting time for fitness bloggers and Pilates studio owners alike! There’s lots of good energy, and lots of upbeat, hopeful people hoping to make positive changes in their lives. As a person who works in the industry, I love welcoming people into the fold and giving them the tools they need to live even better than before.

There is a pitfall, though: an “it must be perfect” attitude. Size 10 isn’t good enough: it must be a size 4. Pushups from the knees are only for wimps—you must do it from the toes. Not one crumb of “bad food” (whatever that is) has crossed my lips. And so on.

It’s a perfect way to set yourself up for failure.

If you’re on some sort of health journey, you’re thinking about food and fitness. Wherever you were, you weren’t happy about it and you’re incorporating new healthy aspects into your life. This. Is. Gold.

But remember: all the little changes add up. Walking up the stairs instead of taking the elevator is great. Signing up for a fitness class once a week is better than doing zero per week. Skipping the cream in favor of skim milk in your coffee. Having a smaller piece of cake instead of a slab.

These little things add up. Is this approach perfect? No. But it’s good enough.

It’s good enough to see gradual weight loss and smaller pant sizes. It’s good enough to feel stronger and have more energy. It’s good enough to want to be more social with friends and family. It’s good enough so that after a while it’s just habit—and then it’s time to add another little change. And that’s where the gold is.

If you just implement one little change per month, imagine how far ahead you’ll be by the end of the year. Here are some ideas…

• Swap one deli sub for a salad with dressing on the side once per week. Drizzle the dressing lightly.
• Drag your family to the park one day per week and play with your kids—don’t just sit on a bench.
• Sign up for yoga with your buddy.
• Change your protein portions at dinner from eight ounces down to five ounces.
• Add a vegetable serving per day above what you’re already doing.
• Buy a fitness DVD and commit to it once per week.
• Brown-bag your lunch one day per week.

Any of these changes is enough to knock ten pounds off your frame this year if you stick to them. Wouldn’t it be nice to effortlessly lose a dress size this year (about ten pounds)? How about two or three dress sizes? Wouldn’t that be gold?

If you feel like the perfectionism thing has really given you a hard time, just stop, give yourself a mental hug and begin again, fresh, today.

How do you beat yourself up when you’re not perfect? What negative thoughts do you need to delete from your mental loop? What positive things can you say to replace them? Share your stories here.