Embrace your inner yogi for Yoga Month 

Busy September is not only National Hunger Action Month and Hispanic Heritage Month but National Yoga Month. Yoga company Wanderlust, which describes its mission as helping you find your true north, has several ideas for how you can celebrate the ancient Indian discipline, one of the most popular forms of exercise in the United States, helping to make it a more than $88-billion global industry. Here are some statistics to back this up, courtesy of thegoodbody.com: 

About 10% of Americans, or 34.4 million people, practice yoga, with women aged 30 to 49 comprising the core group. (This makes yoga ”“ which you can do on your own with no equipment ”“ more popular than, yes, golf.) Yoga grew in popularity by 63.8% between 2010 and ”™21. There are 7,000 yoga studios in the U.S. and 100,000 yoga teachers registered with the”¯Yoga Alliance.  

Yoga, of course, is about a lot more than fitness. It”™s a way of life. So, Wanderlust said, take your practice to a new place ”“ literally, outdoors, for example ”“ or add some new asanas (poses) to it; bring a buddy to yoga class or connect with other yogis afterward for a meal; challenge yourself by doing something out of your comfort zone, like going for a hike or taking an art class; put down the phone and pick up a journal to connect with your thoughts; go green in a nutrient-rich diet and your approach to the environment; buy less and spend more on DIY gifts; and, perhaps most important of all, practice kindness. 

The Yoga Loft at the Bedford Post in Bedford is among the worthy studios for local yogis, offering an array of classes from facial massage and exercise to gentle vinyasa, or flow, work.