I admit: Not everything that comes out of Hollywood is good, but when it comes to Hollywood’s embrace of yoga, they finally got something right!
From Madonna, Jennifer Aniston, and Reese Witherspoon to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry Seinfeld, Gwyneth Paltrow, Sting, Meg Ryan and J. Lo, all of these folks are dedicated yoga practitioners.
The list of Hollywood-ites who have made yoga a part of their regular exercise routine continues to grow. They have quickly replaced their million-dollar home gyms with yoga mats, bronze statues of Krishna and incense burners.
So what is this craze all about?
First of all, yoga is a great mind balancer. With the pressures and stress that face the uber famous every day, just like you and I, they need some way to cope with their camera-crazy lives. Yoga has the power to settle your mind and take the focus from your outer self and turn it inward. Whether it’s an acne breakout or a wrinkled forehead, stress shows up in our bodies. For many, the peace yoga instills is not just a welcomed retreat, but a needed treatment to stay and look healthy.
Also, yoga is great exercise! Even though yoga may be synonymous with hippies and slow-moving movements, the yoga that the stars practice has the power to kick your butt! Using your own body weight to support you, yoga tones and strengthens practically every muscle in your body, even muscles that you didn’t know you had. In addition, sequenced movements like Sun Salutations are extremely cardiovascular. They get your heart pumping as you breathe in and out of postures one after another.
Hollywood knows how to look good. For many celebs, their livelihood depends on it. So when enough of these A-listers have gone on the record lauding the far-reaching benefits of this ancient spiritual practice, maybe we should listen.