Stretch Your Defenses with Yoga
Rooted in 5000-year-old Hindu religious practices, the yoga breathing techniques and poses that are used today for their health benefits are known as hatha yoga. Hatha yoga is used in the treatment of many types of ailments because it is known to improve the muscular and circulatory systems and aid in cleansing and relaxing the mind and body. Essentially, yoga improves health conditions by minimizing stress.
In a study done by scientists at City University in New York City, 63 students volunteered to take a beginning yoga class. After only one class, the students reported feeling less anxious, tense, depressed, angry and fatigued immediately following the class.*
So, what does yoga really involve? Put simply, it involves three basic disciplines, which are breathing, postures and meditation.
Breathing – In an earlier article (see O2 for Stress Relief) we discussed the importance of proper breathing from the diaphragm. In yoga, this slow, deep breathing technique is an essential part of the relaxation, cleansing and energizing process. As you move into more advanced yoga classes, you will also learn more advanced breathing techniques.
Postures – There are many yoga postures and each has it’s own purpose. Some stretch and strengthen muscles, some improve posture and skeletal alignment, some help to relax the nerves and internal organs. All work in combination to unify the body. Links are provided at the end of this article that will take you to see some of the basic yoga postures.
Meditation – Silently repeating a mantra (such as “ohm”) forces your mind to focus on the mantra and relax. The mantra is repeated for about a minute, followed by a period of quiet, where the objective is to let thought drift away and find “stillness” in the mind, generally for a period of ten minutes or so. The mantra is then repeated for another minute as you come back to a more relaxed state of mind.
While there are many ways to learn about yoga, the best way is to sign up for a yoga class. Finding the right class may involve some trial and error, as different instructors have different goals with their students. The following are some tips on yoga instruction:
Ask to first observe a class before signing up. By watching the class, you should be able to tell if the instructor is focused more on relaxation or on difficult postures.
Be sure that the instructor also takes regular classes. You want a teacher that continues to learn and grow.
Yoga should never hurt. Your instructor should not push you to do a more difficult pose than you can handle, nor should you feel like you are competing with the other students.
The lesson should leave you feeling good, hopeful and upbeat, not shaky.
If you have any health concerns, be sure to let the instructor know. In some cases, such as back injury or pregnancy, certain postures should be avoided.
Now, if you just can’t wait to give yoga a try, head over to www.yogclasses.com.for an online yoga class.
And here’s another great site for yoga information and postures: www.santosha.com.
Now breathe, stretch, relax and enjoy!
*References from New Choices in Natural Healing by Doug Dollemore, Mark Giuliucci, Jennifer Haigh, Sid Kirchheimer and Jean Callahan, edited by Bill Gottlieb, Editor-in-Chief, Prevention Magazine Health Books, copyright 1995
