Yoga is an accessible and beginner friendly way to get healthy as part of a New Year’s Resolution. (Photo courtesy of Brigitte Morin)

MARQUETTE –Every year it’s the same thing. You’ve put away the tree, taken down the lights and tried unsuccessfully to return the hideous sweater that your aunt bought for you. Once the holidays wrap up, your mind turns to the future and you start to think about your New Year’s resolution.

It will not surprise anyone to know that “getting healthier” is overwhelmingly the most popular resolution that Americans make.

According to the data analysis website Statista, the top two most common New Year’s resolutions are “getting more exercise” and “losing weight.” It has almost become a running joke online that the first week of every year gyms are filled with new people who show up in January and are never seen again by February. While it may be true that gyms experience a big January surge, making people’s intentions into a joke might not always be helpful for the long-term success of their goals.

It can be intimidating to start a new exercise program. Especially if you’re starting from scratch. When you walk into the gym, fitness center or yoga studio, you’re often confronted with people who have been working out for years and are in great physical condition. It can be especially difficult when you’ve just spent the past week doing nothing but eating food on your parents couch and are feeling about as bad physically as you have all year. We’ve all felt that.

If going to your neighborhood gym sounds a bit nerve wracking, going to a yoga studio probably sounds absolutely terrifying. But it shouldn’t.

Yoga is one of the most popular ways to get exercise in the world and even though popular culture wants you to believe that you have to have the body of a supermodel or an Avenger to do yoga, it is actually one of the most common ways for people of all shapes, sizes and ages to get into fitness.

A common misconception is that yoga is just about standing on your head and twisting yourself into a pretzel. That is not the case. While there are some advanced types of yoga, there are many kinds of yoga designed for beginners, the elderly and those who have physical disabilities. Yoga can not only help you lose weight, it can help to lower blood pressure and have a calming effect on stress and anxiety. It’s healthy for your body and your mind.

Brigitte Morin of Fresh Coast Yoga in Houghton feels that yoga is one of the best ways for people to begin their “wellness journey.”

“The best part of yoga is that you are deeply encouraged to listen to, and make decisions for, your own body and its needs.” Morin said. “Not what your neighbors are doing, not what you’ve seen on TV, not even what the instructors are saying. It’s about doing what works for you. You can start at any level, move at any pace and challenge yourself at any depth.”

One of the big focuses at Fresh Coast is making sure that yoga is inclusive for everyone.

“Inclusivity means that any person with any body (type), injury, level of fitness, experience can come to a yoga class and feel that the class and practice as a whole is accessible to them,” Morin said. “If someone is feeling ‘out of shape’ like I was when I started yoga, I would suggest choosing a low or mid-level class. This would be something like a gentle or restorative practice to get familiar with the poses and the ‘language’ of yoga.”

If you want yoga to be your primary source of exercise, a supplement to what you do at the gym or just a way to relax and let go of the stress of your job or day-to-day life, there is a type of yoga that is right for you. Yoga can be whatever you want it to be, so don’t be intimidated. After all, isn’t getting out of your comfort zone and trying something different what New Year’s is all about?

Randy Crouch can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 242. His email address is rcrouch@miningjournal.net.