Springfield yoga instructor Brooke Martz knows the benefits of the ancient exercise.

Martz started doing yoga when she was 20. After having her first child, it became difficult for her to balance work and workouts. She then had a career-changing opportunity: The gym where she did yoga needed more instructors, and she signed up.

Eleven days later, she quit her job and packed her bags for an intense month of yoga instructor training in Arizona.

There, she participated in the Sumit yoga program, an eight-week intensive course. Martz was one of the first four to complete the program in only a month. Three hours every day, Martz and her colleagues did yoga, and for two hours every day, they learned about the history and literature of yoga, as well as about anatomy and body alignment.

She says it is the best thing she has ever done. She explains that yoga makes you feel “like a million pounds have been lifted off you.”

Yoga is meditating because it focuses only on breathing. There should be no other thoughts. Martz says it is similar to sleeping; instead of thinking about the next test or what is for dinner, all thoughts are focused on one thing: air in the lungs. It is relaxing mentally and physically and can recharge any day.

Martz says this is true for anyone; although physical experiences may be different between a 20-year-old man and a 60-year-old women, the mental experiences are often the same.

If you have time for only three poses every day, Martz recommends these:

Downward dog

Pigeon Pose

Standing Forward Bend

Want to do more?

Nikki Love-Adkins, an instructor at Sumit Hot Yoga, told The Scoop what every beginner needs:

1. An open mind.

Love-Adkins says it is a common misconception that only flexible people can do yoga. She says that it is the yoga that makes people flexible. In the studio there is a variety of shapes, sizes, ages and abilities. She explains that at Sumit, the classes are the same every single time, which gives every person the opportunity to really gauge the improvements they make from class to class.

2. At Sumit, be ready for heat.

Sumit is a hot yoga studio that is going to make you sweat. They keep the studio hot because it protects the muscles and helps release toxins from the body. It can also help keep you focused on breathing and away from thoughts of the outside world. Love-Adkins says it is important to come hydrated and to bring a water bottle. Breathable clothing is also going to make your experience more comfortable.

3. Yoga mat and beach towel

If you do not have a yoga mat, there is no need to worry, at Sumit, they can supply one. It is important to bring a beach towel because once you start sweating, the mat will get slippery.

4. Goals

Everyone has different goals. Some people use yoga as a recovery from other exercise, and others do yoga seven days a week because it makes them feel good and helps get their day started. Each person must be able to feel what their body needs and adapt to that. Love-Adkins says that no one can come too much, as long as they stay hydrated.

Sumit Hot Yoga has an introductory offer to help anyone who is just starting out to find the perfect amount of yoga for them.