Types of Yoga, Fitting It In Your Schedule and How to Get Started with Yoga Instructor Amanda Low

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This is the eat well think. Well live well podcast, episode 35. I'm your host, Lisa Salsbury. And we are going to be talking all about yoga today. Amanda Lao is a trauma bodywork specialist and yoga instructor. And she is my guest today. She is going to share with us the importance of including yoga in our movement routines and the different types of yoga, how to get started and how to fit it into our schedules. This is part three of my movement series with our episode on resistance training a couple of weeks ago. And then last week we did energy expenditure and learning about Nate that non-exercise activity thermogenesis, and then capping off today. Today with yoga, just a totally different way to move your body. When my clients are asking me what exercise they should do. Mostly they're asking me what exercise is going to help them lose weight. But I always tell them the exercise you should do is the one you enjoy. Because that's the one you're going to stick with and remember. Exercise and movement as part of our live well pillar. This is separate from your efforts in the kitchen and with your nutrition. As far as weight loss goes, the benefits for exercise are highly, highly. Mental. And we end up having better thoughts about ourselves. And that is what is going to translate into making better choices in and around the kitchen. So listen in, see if yoga might be right for you to try. Amanda has some great tips, like I said, for how to get started, but also even how to choose a studio or a location. And how to do some yoga at home. Lastly, I do want to acknowledge that the sound quality on this episode is not up to my normal standards. The interview was so good though. I wanted to publish. Anyway. I even sent it off to a professional editor to see if they could fix it up a little bit. Um, but I think most of you wouldn't have even noticed, but I just wanted to make mention in case this is your first episode with me. All right. Let's go.

Lisa: 2:01

Welcome to Eat Well, Think Well, Live Well; the podcast for women who want to lose weight, but are tired of counting and calculating all the food. I'm your host, Lisa Salsbury. I'm a certified health and weight loss coach and life coach, and most importantly a recovered chronic dieter. I'll teach you to figure out why you are eating when you aren't hungry, instead of worrying so much about what you are eating.

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I'm excited today to have Amanda Lowe as my guest. I was reaching out, trying to find an expert in yoga, and her name came up, so I was really excited that she agreed to be a guest on the podcast. I'm gonna let her introduce herself and give us a little background about what she does. My name is Amanda, like you just said, and I have been teaching yoga for about 10. My practice started about 24 years ago. I kinda came into yoga as a suggestion from a therapist. I was actually seeing just to kinda alleviate some stress I was dealing with to manage some anxiety symptoms. It was something that was really helpful and beneficial to my healing, and so my passion just kind of grew and as my children got a little older and time permitted, I ended up going into train. I've trained. under many formats, but I would say my passion kinda lies with trauma work, so that's typically what I tend to do. I would also say that I've got about, I think now about 2000 hours of teaching that I've accomplished over the 10 years. And yeah, it's just a passion. I would say. My other passions include traveling. I love to travel with my kiddos and garden and reading for. Well, we are soul sisters. Yeah, That's me too. I was just looking up like what seats do I need to buy? What new melons do I wanna try this year? Yeah. It's finally nice and spring like here in Nashville. And so I've already been planning my my garden for some time and counting down to June for some travel. Yeah. Great. Okay. Well we are going to talk about yoga today. I was starting to tell Amanda when we first were on like, my history with yoga, I'm like, ah, we'll just wait and talk about it at the podcast. So my first experience with yoga was when I had joined a gym when my, oh gosh, I think it was my second baby was like six weeks old. So it was, you know, it was rough, like bringing toddler. Or toddler and a baby into the gym, daycare. And I'm like, I'm gonna try a yoga class. And I go up there and I didn't sweat. And my cardio bunny brain was like, what is happening? And then they called me out because the baby needed something. And I was like, well, that was a colossal waste of time. And so I didn't step foot in another yoga studio. Years because I just did not understand. And granted this was like, you know, like a Gold's Gym, so probably not the highest quality yoga either. Amanda's making her face she's like, oh no. Yeah. So. I since have tried several different types. I can't ever remember how to say it, but Bikram, I think is how you say it. With the hot yoga, I did that for a little bit. I currently go to Hot Works and do their yoga, which is fairly short. And it's similar cuz it's the static poses. I don't know all the names, but I know that. I kind of have been this place where I'm like, I should do more yoga, but I also struggle with how to fit it in with the other exercise. And as opposed to back then when I just was like all into cardio, now I do more weightlifting and more of a well-rounded movement routine. And so we're gonna talk today about some of the benefits, why we would want to get yoga on our schedule and how we can incorporate it. So let's start with the benefit. Most of my listeners, I would say basically all are women. So why should women do yoga, specifically in our age range, you know, 35 to 55 kind of spot or even older? Like why should we even bother? Well, I would begin to say by start by saying that, I would say most people walk into a yoga studio and they have a little bit of a trauma story attached to your first yoga class. It's very complic like mine. I, I would first like to tell people that, you know, yoga can feel really intimidating when you walk into a studio. They're speaking a language maybe you don't understand. They're using words that you don't understand. The number one thing I hear people say is, I can't do yoga cause I'm not flexible. Oh yeah, that's me too. I didn't mention that, but yes. So most people in they already, or what do I do and tell, you know, myself a yoga therapists, not just. I'm not just teaching, I'm walking people through their bodies, whether that's attached to their stories, maybe their trauma stories. Also kinda where they're at now. You know, a lot of times these things will show up secondary and chronic conditions, right? Chronic inflammation, and so people are walking in, they. Have empowerment over their bodies, right? And they wanna feel empowered in their wellness journey. However, many don't give yoga a chance because it can feel really intimidating. And so I would say the first thing is you don't flexible do yoga. I like to tell people that's something you get. Maybe grow, it's considered a practice, right? No one, none of us really show up in any sport or any activity and pretend to know that we're an expert or that we can do this really, really well. And so just like any other exercise or sport or you know, anything that meditation of these things, it's a practice. So it might take a few, you know, times to get comfortable to answer your question, I would first say that for women, I'm in my forties, and I would say as you enter your forties, some of the biggest misnomers is that we have this idea that we need to show up to the gym and we need calories, and we get our heart rate blasting through what I've learned. Transition from my thirties, my forties, some of those out don't. Help my body anymore, right? Mm-hmm. I end up feeling like poop afterwards. I feel down. And then what happens is you tend to skip the next day. You'll fall off the bad you, you can't show or move up, you know, move your body for two or three days. And so what I've realized is that I had to myself, who's someone who, yes, I practice yoga. I also had to start incorporating different things. One of the biggest benefits for yoga is it's a complete body workout. So you're not just working out your body, you're working out your soul, you're working out your mind, you're resetting your mind and giving a chance to just breathe. I like to tell people from the benefits of yoga is it's really great for your endocrine system, which is huge for women. So a very simple way to regulate your stress hormone. So for people that are walking in out of daily life, right, especially coming outta what we've just gone to for three years with the pandemic, our bodies are so elevated with stress hormones. The other thing that's really beneficial for women is our adrenal. It really helps to reset the adrenals. And this is not just through the forms of meditating and breathing, but it's also to these poses where you're twisting and you're constricting your body. The other thing that's really important that I think a lot of people is it's practice for, and I just article recently that being able to balance on one leg for 10 seconds lengthens your life by up to a decade. That's crazy. And that sounds crazy, right? Ok. But if you think about as we age, most people end up getting hurt cause of balance, right? How many people do we know that might break a And so that balance actually one of easiest to improve. Yeah. I love those balance poses and I, I mean, every time I'm with my mom, I'm like, she's gonna fall over. She has zero balance, which, I mean, I've seen her to stand on one leg. There's no possible way. And I always thought it was like, cuz she doesn't have core drinks, but it can also just apparently just be a balance issue. That's not even a strength issue. Well, I mean, when you look at balance, you've got over 26 bones in your. So when you think about that, right, and it, and I like to tell people, if you're not using it, you're losing it. And so how often as we age do we just simply stand on one leg, right? we're not walking around just trying to stand on leg. And so if you can find yourself a studio and would those that maybe are older and have that fear of falling over, there's a lot of studios that now incorporate chair yoga, so you'll have a chair next to you for those that maybe don't feel like they have the confidence I've taught. Those classes with a lot of my older clients and their seventies or eighties, and if they've got the support of that chair, they're sitting in the in the chair to maybe do some of these more deeper stretches and twists. But also when they're doing those balance poses, they have a place to hold onto. Yeah. Okay. Let's, let's get into some of the different types of yoga, because this is where I get really overwhelmed when I have gone into yoga studios before. I'm like, I don't know what to try. I don't know where my skills, you know, would line up with these classes. And obviously they don't line up with any of them when I first started. But when we're thinking about some of those benefits, like what are the different types. and why would you choose one over another based on your needs? Does that make sense? Completely. I would first start by saying in the US there are over 40 different types of yogas. That can be really overwhelming to people. So when you think about yoga, if you can kind of visualize a tree, right? You have this core trunk of just traditional yoga, and then you have all these branches. And what happens is you have a lot of these yoga schools, yoga instructors, who will kind of make their own form. And so that I think is another level of like intimidation. It's hard to say, I'm gonna go to this studio. What form of yoga are they teaching? And so I like to keep it simple to people. I would probably invite people to maybe explore at the most, four or five. First is gonna be aa. And this is a very kinda just common field of class. It's very adaptable to all. I want you to kind of think of, there'll be a little bit of movement. There might be some balance postures. Typically there's maybe 10 or 15 minutes of stretching to kinda warm you up and then to injure practice. But I like to tell people this is kinda a really good practice for people who just are maybe getting new to yoga. Want to explore what it's like, get their heart rate up a little bit, get some work in their balance postures, get some flexibility. It's kinda. Serves everyone, so to speak. Another one would be a yin yoga. and yin and I would also kind of love them. Restorative, they're very similar, so they're going to be more of deep stretching. Not a lot of movement, not a lot of those un salutations. You see where people are kind of moving and really cohesive with their breath. I teach restorative quite often and and there are days we don't even stand up. During a class, you're gonna have the support of a lot of props, maybe some straps. And this is gonna include you sitting in a certain posture, and really what it means is just giving your body permission to maybe surrender in that posture for five or six minutes. Yin is a little more active in the sense that this is really good for people who. Do another type of exercise. So I have a lot of runners who do yen because it's deep stretch. It's gonna help recover those muscles. I have a lot of men who play golf that will come and do yen because they'll say, this is helping my golf swing better. You know? And what it is, is just giving you permission to kind of let those muscles recover if you're someone who is very active on the other days. The other one that I would suggest to people if you're just getting started, is a form called Ashton. It can also be anything that you see, like Hot six or Theum type. So this is structured more. You have the same flow, so you're gonna show up in a class and you're gonna know that you get the same class. It's be the exact same one the next day, even if it's a different teacher. Cause it's gonna be the same postures over and over. And so there's a bit of repetition why this is good for some that want maybe a little more challenge is it's a great place you can kinda gauge your growth. Right, because you have your own way. You know what's gonna happen the next day. You can start to, it can be really beneficial for those that maybe just need to almost kind zone out, you know, what your class is gonna be. And so it's can be really meditative in the sense that movement is predictable. Your body can just kinda take over. But it does tend to be a little more endurance wise, you're gonna have a little. Movement. Heart rate will probably get up a little bit. You can always go to a hot room that's gonna increase your heart rate. And so those are kinda my main ones I like to tell people. Mm-hmm. So I'm hearing if you're new, start with some vinyasa. Probably not the hot rooms just yet. If you're new, not yet. What can be really intimidating hot rooms is some of the hot rooms, if it's a traditional hot room, the heat can be really high, and then some of the hot rooms will actually lock you in the room because they don't want you to leave the room if you tend to get maybe dressed out or your body, so you start getting scared because you feel like you're out of breath. Because that transition from the really hot room into back into maybe the foyer or the waiting area, it can cause people to pass out and so can be some triggering there sense like someone who've hot yoga class wouldn't first try some other form for yoga. First. You said you are like for trauma. What type do you teach then if that was something someone would want to? Yeah, so trauma yoga is structured in a few different ways. There's not one format. Trauma yoga is less about what your practice looks like and more about trying to integrate yourself back into your body. We use this word agency when we work about trauma work and agency is. The feeling in your own body, that you have control, that you have power, and that you have choice. And I like to tell people when you experience trauma, and I would caveat like begin that by saying one of the biggest things I've noticed about women in their forties and their fifties, they in and they've got that second, or you know, their endocrine systems through the roof. They're trying to get their hormones under. And you know, they're also dealing with these traumas. And I say traumas because we tend to walk in and we say, I don't have any trauma in my life. And yes, you may have not had these really big chi traumas, but trauma can also show up as grief. Maybe they're going through a divorce, maybe they are losing a parent. Maybe they are empty nesters and they're grieving the loss of, you know, that normalcy to them. And that can show up as trauma in our bodies because these are situations that are creating disruption on our lives. They begin, we don't really have power over them. Right. And we don't get to choose necessarily what's happening. And so these women, they come in and they might be super disassociated with their. They might be in a state of hyper arousal where they're on edge, they can't sit still, they're nervous. And what trauma yoga looks like is, first I try to meet them where their body is. That means that they're in a state of hyper arousal. I'm not gonna make them just lay there for 10 minutes on a yoga map. We're gonna do some, get some of that nervous energy out, but then we can start to say, you know, how can we then bring a little bit of integration back into your body? How can you take this time in a yoga class to feel like you feel empowered over your body, that you feel like you have choice, and then maybe learn some, some ways to take it from there and then take it out outside of that yoga studio or mat. Mm-hmm. Awesome. Okay, so here's where my brain gets tripped up with yoga is I just did an episode with a trainer for women who prioritizes weightlifting, especially for the listeners of my podcast. Most of them are in a weight loss phase of their life. They are trying to do some fat. So we do emphasize weight training, strength training, resistance, however you wanna term it. And this is what I do as well, which is partly some of that strength for getting older, keeping our muscles, avoiding sarcopenia, all of those kinds of benefits. So I'm like, okay, how do I fit in yoga? How many days a week? Like someone like you, you're like, I do it every day. But for someone who's trying to start into it and like, okay, I see these benefits, but I don't have time to do two workouts a day or Right. Like how. I, I hate to say like what's the lowest, there's a term for it, but like the lowest dose, the lowest effective dose, I think is, is the term right? What's the lowest effective dose of yoga that could help us? If a person is still like, you know what? I'm a runner, but I wanna do yoga, or, I'm a weightlifter, but I want to start incorporating yoga. How can we incorporate it? Where would you see that? Say you're lifting three times a week, what would that look like to incorporate. I would once again preface it by saying that. Taking a yoga class, you're still getting some of those benefits, right? You're still gonna get the same. Some of the benefits of weightlifting, because you are lifting weight, you're using your own body weight, right? If you've ever done a chatter, you're gonna know that you're having some weight building. You are using your own body weight to do pushups. You're using your own body weight. To stand on one leg. And so I would say don't discount that yoga is not gonna still give you some of those benefits. The other thing I would say is that as I've aged some of my own personal fitness coach that I, you know, work with, refer to me that a lot of times when we get into our forties, These exercises that we did in our twenties and our thirties, they're really intense. And so what does that create? It creates a little bit of cortisol in your body, right? And so anytime we're introducing even cortisol, even through the form of, you know, Activities, exercise, we still need to reset that. And so part of that is maybe taking and kinda shifting your brain. And one thing I've started to do is that like I'm, I do lift weight, I lift weights maybe two or three days a week incorporating yoga could look like maybe it's just 10 minutes of stretching or slowing down your breath to maybe counteract what that cortisol might be doing in your body, right? So if you're a. And you're running three or four days a week, what would it look like to take 10 minutes after your run to lay on your mat? Maybe do a few simple twists, some stretches for your body, but then also really the, the most important thing is to give your si yourself five minutes of stillness and just recover your breath and bring your adrenals down through breath. Through a little bit of meditation, so that way you're getting the benefits of both your run, but you're also giving yourself permission to recover. And the number one question I get asked in yoga is, what is the hardest pose, Amanda? What is the hardest pose? You know, we can look on Instagram. Yeah. We see all these like, you know, bindy people and all these crazy things. And that's intimidating. Nobody that's not happening in the studio most of the time. I would say the number one hardest poster people. Is giving yourself five minutes of your, at the end of your class and not moving. I call it the ground effect, and I know people can't me, but it's literally people are laying and they're lifting heads up and looking around like, is it over hardest for is to just give us our five minutes of, of quiet being with your breath and letting your body just. You know, unpack and uncover a bit. Yeah, that is actually one of my favorite parts too, and hot works where I was saying that I do those shorter yoga classes, buts on a recorded loop, and so I always have to jump up before I get into that. I jump up and I turn the volume all the way down so they don't go, okay, it's over. Gather you things leave. I'm always like, please no one be coming in for the next class, because I do love that. Yeah. That time to just recenter and. So for those that don't know this, Sebastian is laying down, you're laying down on your back, typically with your hands open up to the sky. Yeah, you can. Um, I like, hands are open and a, and a posture to, but some people need their hands down cause it's grounding for them. And so it just, you know, kind of be curious. Sometimes people like one hand on their heart, one on their belly, so they can really connect with. Sometimes we have a harder time internally connecting with our bodies, but the beauty is we can take our kinda sensations externally, and so then you can feel your breath, you can feel your heartbeat, and those are connections to your body, right? It doesn't just have to be this deep mystery sometimes externally connecting, touching the fabric, touching your. We'll start that conversation back and give you that, those connection points back into your body. I would say. I hear how it works a lot and we actually have a studio and I have a client who was at the studio with us and I'm not, trust me, not knocking in anyway, but she loved the hot works cause those were that in and out. She could pick her time, she could go, she, you know, there's so many benefits to doing hot yoga. It's so good. It's really good for those at. I have Mt. Hfr, which is a dirty gene, if you've ever heard that word. And that's a great, great way for people like me to kinda up their way to the detox, more healthfully. But one of the biggest things she just came back to the studio is she said, I miss practicing with people. Yeah. And I think that is what's really important is I would stress more than anything, is for people to find a place where they feel comfortable, where you can make some connections. Because anytime you have a community, you are gonna be more consistent. Yeah, that is really true. I did have a friend, we were meeting pretty consistently in the same class, and then she broke a rib I was like, oh, no, Hopefully not in yoga now. No, she's just very adventurous and it was on one of her travel adventures, so I totally hear that. I. Definitely feel like I've had a better class when she's there. Yeah. So, and I would say a lot of people coming out the pandemic, they are just craving to be in a class. They miss people. And what you, even if you don't know anyone to start with, you start to, you start to become friends with the instructor, you start to, that builds confidence, right? Anytime. Can take a little ambiguity out of the situation. It, it's empowering. And so then you start to recognize faces, right? And you've got accountability there. And, and there's nothing better than trying a new posture with someone next to you and laughing because maybe you didn't get it right or celebrating because you've been trying something for months and you finally hit it, right? And so, That's what I see people really embrace with practicing at a studio is really being able to have that community to, you know, fall in love with something, a practice of yoga. Mm-hmm. Sorry, I'm gonna go back. I'm not sure we actually got to that sort of like, like lowest beneficial dose kind of thing, which I know sounds terrible. Like what's the least amount we could do? But I really am interested. Obviously more is better because Right, more meditation, more stretching, like all of that is better. I just am always like, for those that are on a time crunch, you know, we always say everyone has the same 24 hours in a day, but I just don't really believe that when it comes to. Moms that are working, and we just don't have the same availability. We have 24 hours, and so I'm, I'm conscious of people's ability to fit things in. Do you know what I mean? Completely. So I would start by saying, the definition of yoga is literally to link movement with breath. Ok. And so when you think about that, yoga could look like sitting on your bed when you first wake up, putting a hand on your heart, putting a hand on your belly, connecting to your breath for one or two minutes, and then maybe it's a simple twist. Maybe it's turning your gaze to the left, twisting to the right. Maybe it's reaching overhead. Crossing up towards the ceiling. That might be your yoga for the day. Mm-hmm. And so thinking of it, not so much as I have this requirement to say this is yoga, but the places that you can just maybe squeeze in, maybe for you yoga looks like a few breaths. Maybe for yoga for you one day is 30 minutes. Rolling out your mat and doing a little bit of vinyasa and building up a little bit of breath work and some movement. I tell people, Five minutes a day, right? If you're someone who's like, I, I wanna start doing this, start with five minutes a day. If, if you're a morning person. I have one client who she tells me I did my bed yoga. Under the cover yoga. That's what she calls it. And she literally, before she gets outta bed some postures, little happy baby, some soup, supine twist, and that's her yoga for the morning. Other days she's got more availability, she has more. For those that maybe have more of a consistent exercise routine, if you're a runner, maybe incorporating 10 minutes of stretching of movement after your run, or, what I typically encourage with my runners, my golfers, my tennis people, people who really have a schedule, is to try to maybe do 45 minutes once or twice a week to incorporate that recovery on the days they're not playing or running. Just because what you'll get the benefits. It's not just you'll get the benefits from the yoga. You actually are gonna see an improvement in those activities you're doing. I have a group of men I teach, and they love yoga because it helps their swing. That's what they see the benefits. They may not see the benefits, they may not be touching their toes, but they see maybe a little bit of benefit on their golf. Okay, so, and you did touch on that before. I think I'm one of those people that's like, give me a schedule. So what I'm hearing is if you can make it to the studio a couple times a week, that's great, but you can just do it every day on your own. Just a little here and there. And I say one of the biggest things I tell people, cause people can get really frustrated, and this might be skipping. Yeah, let's get into that. Okay. If you were doing it at home, invest in a good yoga mat. Okay. I would tell people not to go to Target and buy a 15 mat because some of the biggest frustrations I see, whether it is me doing a one-on-one client or having someone in my class at a studio is they show up and they have these mats that aren't really great and their hands are slipping. Their feet are slipping, and so I would say invest in the good. That's number one and they, they can be pricey. My favorite brand, and I won't do a plug if you're not comfortable with it. My favorite brand. What brand runs about hundred 50, but it lasts forever. It's something that, it's like a good pair of jeans, right? Good pair of jeans. Cuz you're probably gonna wear 'em a lot. And so I would say that, and then also find some maybe channels on YouTube. You know, there's so many on YouTube, but I know a lot of people love Adrenal Adrianna Yoga with yoga with Adrianna, I think is her name. I've got a few videos as well. Find someone who, a studio do it outdoors. Some people really find just laying their mat on the back porch as it can be really therapeutic. But those are kind of my find something where you feel like you can be consistent. And aside from a Matt, what other props would you need for just starting anything or what would you recommend for starting out? If they're really interest, I would say a block is very beneficial. Phone blocks, you can buy those. You can buy definitely at Target for $10 and that's just gonna help you. Allow those stretches. So if you're someone who maybe can't bring your hands all the way to the floor and a forward fold, a block is gonna bring that floor higher to you until you get maybe a little more flexibility. They can also be used for more restorative postures. You don't have to have a lot of props. You can always use a pillow from your own room, a blanket if you want. Some people like to use a strap. I have taught at some shelter. And so one way that I provide those props to the low cost is I'll go to Goodwill and buy a bunch of neckties and a neck tie. Makes a great. That's great cuz I think that was another thing when I got into the first studio that I really did try, I was like, what are these things? Do I need them? Like people have props, I don't I dunno what I'm doing. So yeah, the blocks are really helpful when you can't, especially because I do identify as one of those people that's not very flexible. So I do need the floor brat a little closer sometimes. Yeah. I tell my classes that actually props actually can make a PO post harder. So some people are like, oh, I don't wanna use the prop. It means, but you know what? I've used props. Um, the block, last week I taught a core class. So we use that cork block, which is a good five to seven pounds. We use that to lift up and use our core and really engage our core. So don't think of these props as. Stink. I'm not good at this, so I have to use all these props. No, they actually can make something harder. They can change a posture to win. Maybe you feel it differently or maybe you challenge yourself in a different way. And then if you're using props in restorative you in, that just means you have a very yummy class. And it's like I tell people's yoga nap, right? It's deep stretching. It's, it's finding a posture and laying there for five or six minutes. And I always tell people that it's, you know, when you think of that yen. You should be doing all forms of yoga. So if you're someone who's like, gimme the power, gimme that vinyasa, I need to burn 300 calories. Those people should also be doing restorative, right? Because the idea is that you're doing a whole body, you know, practice. It isn't just one. If you're someone who only does restorative, try to swing over and do a little vig. Yeah. One of the things that I tell my clients when we're talking about movement, I'm not a trainer myself, so I don't prescribe fitness workouts or fitness regimens for my clients, but they wanna know like, what should I do? And I always ask them, well, what do you like to do? And so, If you've never tried yoga, you don't know if you like it. Like you might have this like preconceived, well, I'm not flexible, or I, you know, want to have my heart rate up or whatever. But I would just say like also as far as getting started, like probably just need to try it. Give it a couple of classes and see if it's something that connects with you, because we've got to just find movements that we like to do. Those are the best. So if you don't like weightlifting, try yoga. I just think it's so important to move our bodies. That's why in in my program, as part of the Live Well pillar that we use movement, not as in an effort to create more fat loss, because that's not what movement is for. It's really all the benefits in your brain and. Like Amanda was saying, in the endocrine system, so many hormones and stress, all of that is happening through the way we're moving our bodies and just gaining so much love as well for seeing what our bodies can do. Getting into postures that you're like, I would have never thought I could do this, or just getting a little farther into one, like I'm getting just a. More flexible just a little bit and having a better game, whether that's tennis or pickleball for me, that's what I've been doing lately. That's my game. Yeah, so just finding something that you like to do, I think is the most important thing about movement. I, I would completely agree. And I think the other thing is, you know, finding a place that feels that you can grow community. If you, if you try a yoga studio and it feels intimidating and they're speaking in Sanskrit and there's all these Bindi people that may not be the studio for you, and not all studios look like that. The studio, I teach chat here in Franklin, Tennessee is, you know, most of the teachers do not teach in Sanscript. Cause that can be intimidating. I don't even know what that is. sok, the fancy yoga words, right? So ones of people maybe you hear in a very traditionally yoga studio. Like I said, I've been teaching for 10 years. I know all those names, but guess what? A lot of the people showing up in my class, they don't. And so I just wanna take one more layer of intimidation away from the yoga studio. And so for me, that's just how I choose. And I might throw in one or two, but as just way for them to learn those words if they want. But overall, you know, finding kind of a studio that is cohesive to what you want. Is super important, you know? And so if you go to one studio and it feels overwhelming and intimidating, a, you can either try another class, try a different teacher, or look for a different studio. And so not all studios are created equal, right? And. You know, there are some that are gonna teach maybe a hot 26 much better, and maybe another studio that's much more inclined to restorative. So the studio that I teach at here in Franklin, I would say the demographic is typically thirties, forties, fifties, and sixties women. And so you're not gonna go in there and you're not gonna be finding these people who are doing things that you see on Instagram. Okay. It's, it's, it's, we teach to who our demographic is and. Yes, we wanna challenge our, our students, but we also wanna empower them. And it's not empowering to go into something and feel like you're lost. So, okay. Here's my last question. I actually didn't wanna know the hardest. I was curious, what is your favorite pose? Oh gosh. I would say I've got a few. I'll give you, I'll give you two. I'll keep it simple. I love. A good restorative give me, uh, a chance to just lay down and not think, and not move and just be still. To me, that is, I don't get to do that very often. I would say for someone who. Is more adventurous For me, I love Half Moon, and so that's a balance pose. That's because I feel really empowered in it. It's a posture that feels empowering. I feel strong in it and it feels really good on my hips. So Nice. I would say my favorite is Eagle. I like being all twisted up and then the release, and that is one of the best. Poses for your endocrin system and your adrenal. Cause you're flushing, you're twisting. Mm-hmm. and then you release. And so you're giving your body that natural way of flushing itself out. Nice. All right. Well tell people where they can connect with you or learn more about what you do. Okay. So the best way I typically communicate with my people is on Instagram. And that is @wellnesswithalow and then my email is wellness with amanda gmail com and then are in, I teach free You guys have ever had a road trip to Franklin? Definitely come by and see us. We've got lots of great teachers there. We have a little trampoline class. We have some bar classes, so it's a great fusion studio. Awesome. Thank you so much. And we'll put those links in the show notes as well. Thanks so much for being here, Amanda. Yeah, thank you for having me. Thanks for tuning in today for our third and final installment on our movement series, we will definitely still be talking about movement and exercise again. So let me know what questions you have that didn't get covered. Also wanted to mention that registration for my group coaching program does open this Friday. So even if you haven't had a chance to get on the wait list, there is still room for you. If you were feeling on the fence about it, be sure to schedule a call with me so I can get your most burning question answered and get you on your way to losing your first five pounds. All those links are in the show notes. And if you're loving what you're hearing from me, don't forget to rate, review and share the show.