Approximately 60% of Americans are visual learners, meaning they are able to absorb and retain information most effectively by using their eyes as their main sensory tool. (As a point of interest, 30% are auditory learners, and 10% are kinesthetic learners.) This fact has very important ramifications on tools that we develop to teach people new material, including yoga. If we want to make information broadly available, we should consider how to make it visually appealing.
Being an auditory learner, I am recently obsessed with infographics. A Health Blog is one of my favorite resources for powerful health-related infographics and I highly recommend the following to all of my yoga students:
The Health Benefits of Yoga Infographic is an easy-to-follow visual that quickly explains how yoga:
The Yoga for Back Pain Infographic addresses one of the main sources of discomfort for Americans. At any point in time, 31 million (over 10% of the population!) experience back pain. While many treat this pain via over-the-counter and prescription medication, yoga can be an effective component of a holistic treatment plan. This infographic provides an entire sequence of yoga postures that can help to alleviate back pain. Either perform the whole sequence or take just a few postures when your back pain flares up and to maintain a healthy back.
Many of students come to yoga class to improve their posture, and this is particularly important as we age. The Good Posture Infographic does a wonderful job of explaining the health effects of poor posture such as poor circulation, chronic back pain, fatigue, and headaches. It goes on to explain what causes poor posture, how to check the quality of your posture, and then how to improve your posture.
One quick look at these infographics and you’ll be motivated to roll out that mat every day, even if you only have a few minutes. Because they are easily shareable, you can also send them around to your friends and family to get them moving, too.
