Reflecting on 2 Months of Pranayama

I stumbled upon Pranayama two and a half months ago.
I've always liked building habits (especially lifestyle habits), and with the help of Santana Guesthouse Kyoto, who taught me Pranayama and hosts daily Instagram live streams, I've been able to keep it up.
I'm so grateful for that. 🙏 Thank you. 😊

I looked back to see what kind of changes have occurred over these past two months.
A while after I started Pranayama, I began to feel a sense of space—or perhaps time—opening up, and I felt motivated to try doing a bit more yoga, something I hadn't done since learning it 15 years ago, other than ankle rotations.
I started with Sun Salutations.
Just as I began practicing Sun Salutations again, Santana happened to be hosting a festival on their YouTube live stream that included a yoga segment. They left it in the archives, so I started doing the warm-ups, mantras, and classical yoga Sun Salutations every day using that.
Shortly after that, Santana was hosting a Shankhaprakshalana session, so I signed up immediately for a detox (lol).
(I'm the type who immediately tries anything that sounds interesting or good for the body.)
Luckily, this seemed to suit me, and I've had regular bowel movements ever since.
Back to yoga: I found it fun to feel my body changing little by little as I practiced every day. Recently, I've been searching for and trying out various people's YouTube videos, finding teachers who suit me, and continuing my practice. ← I'm here now.


As for concrete changes:
My weight dropped by 2–3 kg.
My body fat percentage dropped by 2%.
I clearly gained muscle, and moving my body has become much easier.
I spend less time lazing around and procrastinating.
My digestion has improved.
I learned yoga poses that activate the digestive system.
My mind has become stronger.
I can hear the voices of my mind and body better than before.
My hearing has improved.
I've been able to go to bed and wake up a little earlier.
I'm so happy that I can take longer breaths that I've started listening to music and singing often, even though I used to live in silence.
(It feels great because it's so easy to use my voice.)
The quality of my sleep has improved.
I fall asleep more easily and wake up feeling better in the morning.
I'm eating less.
I quit coffee.
I stopped buying sweets, sugary treats, and snacks.
I've started drinking more water.
My shoulder stiffness has decreased.
My lower back pain has decreased.
I feel more energetic.
My work efficiency has increased, and by reducing wasted time, I have more mental space and time, which makes me want to try new things and meet more people.
My relationships have changed.
I've become kinder to myself and others.
I've become stricter with myself and others (I can speak my mind more clearly).
My posture has improved.
My swelling has decreased.
Because the swelling went down, a ring I had given up on wearing for years during the summer now slides right on. ← This is the most surprising and happiest thing of all!!!


Just looking back, there are so many!
These are just my personal impressions, so I can't say exactly to what extent these effects are due to the practice, but I personally feel the benefits and love it so much that I'll definitely keep going. I'm also looking forward to seeing what other changes might come next. 😊

I ended up rambling on at length, partly as a record for myself, but thank you so much for reading until the end. 🙏