#WhyIYoga: September is National Yoga Month!

Designed to educate about the health benefits of yoga and to inspire a healthy lifestyle, National Yoga Month is the perfect time to celebrate this transformative activity. To get into the spirit, America’s leading yoga brand CorePower Yoga has launched the  #WHYIYOGA campaign. The initiative taps into the mindful, emotional, fun and real aspects of yoga, encouraging yogis to share the "why" behind their practice and the personal inspiration and motivation that gets them to class.

Of course, here at TURNER, we’re no strangers to the Yoga universe, whether it's sunrise stretches at Red Rocks Amphitheatre or rooftop sessions in the heart of New York City. So here are our own personal #WhyIYoga contributions ... See you on the mat!  

My motivation to yoga usually begins with a physical desire to get in a killer workout, and ends with mental clarity and release. This mind-body combination is like nothing else and keeps me coming back to my mat day after day. – Kelsey Comstock Yoga is almost necessary when you live in New York. Between the crowded subways, throngs of tourists and crazy lifestyle that comes with living here, yoga is not only therapeutic, but it’s a great meditative way to stay grounded and relaxed in the chaos. New York is #WhyIYoga. – Laura Kepus 

#WhyIYoga -- To get my flow on in 2 ways. 1.) Flow physically to get my body loose with a good stretch while kickstarting endorphins with a good sweat and 2.) Flow mentally with some much needed meditation. – Helen Ji

To be present and balance are the two main drivers of my yoga practice. – Christine Turner

I yoga because it’s a time when where I am dedicated to nothing but clearing my mind, letting go of stress, and giving my body the good stretch that it needs. It’s entering a state of mind where I remind myself that I am a small fish in a big pond and my anxieties are fleeting. – Victoria Selover  The combination of a unique, physical workout, rooted in the mindfulness of yoga is my WHY. Setting an intention and finding serenity and purpose on my mat during those 60 minutes. – Molly Early

I’m a sporadic yogi; over the last few years, I’ve managed to mangle knees/ankles/shoulders, and I’ve increasingly seen the benefits of a great stretch and strong core. I’ve also found yoga to be a great help to chronic insomnia; a solid flow class in the evenings helps me slow my brain down. – Angela Berardino

To me, yoga is restorative, and an act of self-care. I definitely “work out” outside of yoga, but generally use that time for repairing whatever I’ve done to my muscles / body over the course of the week + spend a bit of time in  “non-thinking” action-mode.There’s always another layer to conquer, and it’s self-driven instead of competitive. Also, balancing yourself on your arms is pretty cool.   – Laura Pettitt

I do yoga for balance, literally and otherwise. If I miss just one week of my practice I feel noticeably off-kilter. Just one hour-long practice can take me from feeling incredibly stressed and overwhelmed to feeling centered – feeling balanced. Yoga is a way of self-reflection for me; I get to take a moment to just “be” and somehow that’s all I need to feel like I can take on the world. – Emily Doyle

New to yoga? No problem. At CorePower Yoga, your first week is free.