Yoga is one of the most popular forms of exercise today. Many believe that beyond yoga’s trendiness, there are real health and wellness benefits to incorporating a dedicated yoga practice into your life. But what does this have to do with money?

For starters, the ease of the anxiety and stress of everyday life as well as the ability to help calm and slow down the body can be helpful when dealing with financial issues. Having a way to ease the mind may help make some simple money problems disappear. No money for new clothes? No problem, because buying new things is not only unnecessary but stressful of the environment when you already have a closet full of clothes. Can’t go on your big Bahama’s cruise this year due to a lost job? That’s ok. You are right where you need to be and there are about a million more places (cheaper places too!) to take a mini-vacation. Being mindful can reduce impulse buys and help you to put what is ultimately most important and necessary before other financial priorities.

Yoga is viewed as both a mind and body exercise. It also has a range of health benefits. Here are a few that can help you breathe as you work out your finances.-The lifestyle yoga encourages can lower bills. Eating a more plant-based diet, exercising more, and eating out less can be more cost efficient than splurging on fancy meals, or spending time and money on entertainment rather than your body. Eating a plant-based diet has been proven to be cheaper, even if only once a week, than one that incorporates meat.

-Starting to exercise and eat right will lower health related bills. Fewer trips to the doctor and fewer prescriptions can lower bills by a lot. Even the chance of lower health insurance rates due to be healthy and active.

-Yoga teaches you to be in tune with both your mind and your body. Learning to listen to your inner self and being comfortable with where you are in life can help balance your finances. Learning to purge material belongings and buy less “throw-away” items can lead you to be happier and healthier.

Yoga has been around for over 5,000 years. Even if you are skeptical about the benefits, you have nothing to lose. Most yoga centers offer free classes for newcomers and there is a plethora of free exercise videos online. So why not try to balance your life while falling out of tree pose once in a while? There is nothing to lose!

Answers from AZ