Why Yoga?

Yoga is the most studied and written about physical exercise in the world. Why? No other form of exercises does as much for the mind, body and spirit. The yoga practice is easy to take up, there are no need for expensive equipment or the knowledge on how to use it. An individual is guided through these exercises by a qualified instructor. To get started all a person needs is a matt and comfortable clothes that one can move in. Yoga practice encompasses postures that not only exercise the outside muscle system but also the internal organs and glands. Some of the key elements of a Yoga practice are:

• Standing postures strengthen the leg muscles and joints, keeps the spine flexible and long, opens the heart and increases blood circulation to the lower extremities.
• Balancing postures. These poses teach us that a balanced body brings a steadier mind. By learning to stay balanced and focused in our poses we bring that awareness into our everyday lives.
• Backbend postures. Physiologically, backbends stimulate the central nerve system and energize the whole body and can help alleviating headaches, hypertension and nervous exhaustion. They tone the adrenal glands, liver, kidneys and pancreas. Energetically, backbends create space for the breath to move more freely, creating a lighter mind.
• Seated postures. Physically, these poses elongate the spine, alleviate stiffness in the knees and ankles, and release the hips and groins, giving the body the strength and flexibility it needs to sit quietly for long stretches of time. On a deeper level, seated poses quiet the mind and help control the senses.
• Inversions are yoga's gift to the body’s circulation system, allowing freshly oxygenated blood to circulate more freely and bringing balance to the endocrine system. Psychologically, inversions clear the mind and re-energize the spirit, and give us a renewed sense of balance and stability.
• Reclined postures. The variety of reclining poses allows us to stretch forward and release backwards, move up and down and side to side, lubricating the joints and opening the chest as we move toward Savasana, the ultimate resting pose in which we can experience true stillness, the merging of body , mind and spirit.

The above is all brought together by using the breath. We all know how to breath considering that we came into this life by inhaling and will go out on the exhale. In our yoga practice we come to our breath creating a smooth flow of oxygen in and out of the nostrils. This brings mindness to our breath and as we move through the postures we are mindful of this exchange and come to it when things become difficult. The control of the breath is what separates yoga from other forms of exercise.