Top
10 reasons to try "Yoga for Life! "
Give
yoga a try and discover what it can do for body and mind.
The health and fitness
benefits of yoga have long been reported by practitioners and are now being confirmed
by scientific research. Give yoga a try and discover what it can do for your body,
your mind, and your soul.
1.
YOGA FOR … STRESS RELIEF: Yoga
reduces the physical effects of stress on the body. By encouraging relaxation,
yoga helps to lower the levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Related benefits
include lowering blood pressure and heart rate, improving digestion and boosting
the immune system as well as easing symptoms of conditions such as anxiety, depression,
fatigue, asthma and insomnia.
2.
YOGA FOR … PAIN RELIEF: Yoga can ease pain. Studies have demonstrated
that practicing yoga asanas (postures), meditation or a combination of the two,
reduced pain for people with conditions such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, auto-immune
diseases and hypertension as well as arthritis, back and neck pain and other chronic
conditions. Some practitioners report that even emotional pain can be eased through
the practice of yoga.
3.
YOGA FOR … BETTER BREATHING: Yoga teaches people to take slower, deeper
breaths. This helps to improve lung function, trigger the body's relaxation response
and increase the amount of oxygen available to the body.
4.
YOGA FOR … FLEXIBILITY: Yoga helps to improve flexibility and mobility,
increasing range of movement and reducing aches and pains. Many people can't touch
their toes during their first yoga class. Gradually they begin to use the correct
muscles. Over time, the ligaments, tendons and muscles lengthen, increasing elasticity,
making more poses possible. Yoga also helps to improve body alignment resulting
in better posture and helping to relieve back, neck, joint and muscle problems.
5.
YOGA FOR … INCREASED STRENGTH: Yoga asanas (postures) use every muscle
in the body, helping to increase strength literally from head to toe. And, while
these postures strengthen the body, they also provide an additional benefit of
helping to relieve muscular tension.
6.
YOGA FOR … WEIGHT MANAGEMENT: Yoga (even less vigorous styles) can aid
weight control efforts by reducing the cortisol levels as well as by burning excess
calories and reducing stress. Yoga also encourages healthy eating habits and provides
a heightened sense of well being and self esteem.
7.
YOGA FOR … IMPROVED CIRCULATION: Yoga helps to improve circulation and,
as a result of various poses, more efficiently moves oxygenated blood to the body's
cells.
8. YOGA FOR
… CARDIOVASCULAR CONDITIONING: Even gentle yoga practice can provide
cardio-vascular benefits by lowering resting heart rate, increasing endurance
and improving oxygen uptake during exercise.
9.
YOGA FOR… FOCUS ON THE PRESENT: Yoga helps us to focus on the present,
to become more aware and to help create mind body health. It opens the way to
improved concentration, coordination, reaction time and memory.
10.
YOGA FOR… INNER PEACE: The meditative aspects of yoga help many to reach
a deeper, more spiritual and more satisfying place in their lives. Many who begin
to practice for other reasons have reported this to be a key reason that yoga
has become an essential part of their daily lives.
Yoga
Class Do's and Don'ts
DO
arrive early Be here Now. It happens to every one at some point. Your in a
mad rush to get to class when you have the sinking realization that, short of
a wrinkle in the time space continuum, your just not going to make it on time!
Although I would rather you arrive a few moments late rather than skipping class
all together, you need to rethink your approach if you are chronically tardy.
Getting to class about 10 minutes early can help you settle in and align your
attitude with the purpose of the
Do
Spare the Air! No scents is good sense! One that distinguishes yoga from other
physical activities is the emphasis on the breath. A deep Ujjayi breath full of
perfume can all but ruin a practice. Treat your nose and those around you to a
clean-smelling, fragrance-free environment. Many people are chemically sensitive
or disturbed by strong scents, even those from natural essential oils.
DON'T
eat for two or three hours before class. If you practice yoga on a full stomach,
you might experience cramps, nausea, or vomiting, especially in twists, deep forward
bends, and inversions. Digesting food also takes energy that can make you lethargic.
DO
let your teacher know about injuries or conditions that might affect your practice.
If you are injured or tired, skip poses you can't or shouldn't do, or try a modified
version.
DO create
an intention. To help you focus, you might find it helpful to dedicate your
practice to a certain intention. This might be to become more aware and understanding,
more loving and compassionate, or healthier, stronger, and more skillful. Or it
might be for the benefit of a friend, a cause-or even yourself.
DON'T
bring pagers or cell phones to class
Muzzle
your mobile. This, the most obvious of rules, bears repeating. We know you
have a lot of friends - and, yes, you're so important that they're always texting
and calling you. And we're sure your ringtone is really groovy. Let yourself have
this time of peace. Leave socializing and business outside the studio, so the
peace of the practice is not disturbed.
DO
bring a towel or your own mat if you sweat a lot, and arrive clean and free
of scents that might distract or offend others.
DON'T push it. Instead of trying to go as deeply or completely into a pose
as others might be able to do, do what you can without straining or injuring yourself.
You'll go farther faster if you take a loving attitude toward yourself and work
from where you are, not from where you think you should be.
Do
enjoy Savasana - Play Dead! As everyone settles in for a long Savasana, you're
itching to roll up your mat and sneak out. Maybe you can't help thinking of all
the things you should be doing with those minutes. But, relax and stay put! You're
going to miss the deep relaxation at the end that is arguably the most important
part of the practice. Savasana may be the most transformative pose you do all
day. And look at it this way; if you're antsy to go, isn't that all the more reason
to stay?
DO pick up
and neatly put away any props you use.
DO
take time afterwards to think about what you did in class, so you can retain
what you learned. Review the poses you practiced, and note any instructions that
particularly made sense. Even if you remember just one thing from each class,
you'll soon have a lot of information that can deepen your own personal practice.
