7 resolutions that yoga can help you keep past January

If you want to be happier, your wandering mind is likely your biggest obstacle. According to a 2010 Harvard study, people spend 47% of their time thinking about things that aren't happening. Understandably, spending half your life lost in thought is considered a major cause of unhappiness.

Yoga is a practice based on mindfulness and awareness that emphasizes using your breath to consistently connect to the present moment. It also teaches you how to breathe deeper and use meditative techniques to tap into your parasympathetic nervous system to reduce stress and increase happy hormones.

Whether you're looking to lower your blood pressure, reduce stress or lose weight, studies abound showing the benefits of yoga for these issues. Weight loss is probably the most popular resolution made and broken. Yoga's overall focus on body awareness and the present moment can help practitioners enhance self control and avoid mindless eating, which are important for long-term success with weight loss. And, although yoga isn't the ideal cardiovascular exercise, certain styles, like Power Yoga and Ashtanga, can increase muscle mass, which burns more calories.

Yoga is very helpful in facilitating sleep! I've created numerous yoga-based sleep programs for my professional athletes and celebrity clients, whose demanding schedules make sleeping difficult. Using yoga stretches to release tension and enhance blood flow in the abdomen, combined with meditative techniques and diaphragmatic breathing focused on exhaling produces a natural sedative effect in the body.

If you're looking to forge friendships, look no further than your local yoga studio! Studios build their businesses around a sense of community. Most hold events in and out of the studio -- from book clubs to cocktail parties -- to foster relationships among students.

Christina Lowden, co-owner of Trinity Yoga in New Port Richey, Florida, says, "yoga tends to attract like-minded people, so relationships blossom easily while chatting after class or at special events."

Volunteering is an admirable resolution but it can be surprisingly daunting to find the right organization to donate your time. Let your yoga studio take the guesswork out of volunteering and make getting involved an easier process. Most yoga studios are affiliated with a charity, and often donate time to schools, prisons or shelters. For example, Lowden says her studio recently helped start a facility for homeless and struggling veterans.

If traveling more is one of your goals, yoga can provide the impetus. Yoga retreats take place all over the world, ranging from weekend workshops to month-long immersions. Whether you're into modest camping trips or five-star luxury hotels in exotic locations, you can find a retreat that's perfect for you. Check out www.bookyogaretreats.com, which claims to be "the world's largest yoga travel site."

Maybe the practice of yoga is new to you. If that's the case, there's your resolution! But if you've been practicing a while, there are opportunities to expand your knowledge into related subjects. You can explore energy chakras, learn new forms of meditation or even become a yoga teacher. A quick online search will reveal boundless books, courses and certification programs on any yoga-related topic that interests you. And, chances are a studio near you will have a related workshop on their schedule.

"Every January, our studio holds workshops on the yoga philosophy of the Yamas and Niyamas," says Lowden. "Being kind, truthful and balanced in life may not be new thoughts, but the reminder of these qualities as the backdrop of a yoga practice can inspire new resolutions."

Regardless of your resolution, if you need inspiration and support to get over the January hump and achieve lasting change, try spending some time on your yoga mat.