Benefits of Yoga

No matter what your relationship with yoga is at the moment, I know that yoga can benefit you. Regular practice can deliver a number of different benefits, so if you are wondering how it can help you....read on!

Physical

Obviously, any form of regular fitness activity brings benefits to your physical body. I have tried many forms of exercise over the years but I find yoga provides me with the kind of exercise that suits my personality. It's a quiet, peaceful way to keep fit. I don't enjoy being super sweaty - you will get very warm and sometimes a little out of breath in my yoga class but not that dripping in your eyes kind of sweaty - and I love the feeling at the end of class where I can feel that my body has worked without that frantic, fist pumping, hyper feeling.

Yoga will provide you with strength and flexibility. The kind of yoga I teach is very traditional and is taught and practiced widely in India and around the world. The main aim of this type of yoga is to strengthen the spine. This extract from the Sivananda website explains it perfectly:

Yoga exercises are primarily concerned with the health of the spine. The spine contains the central nervous system, the body’s telegraphic system. As a direct extension of the brain, a healthy spine makes for a healthy body. If you maintain the spine’s flexibility and health through proper exercise, blood circulation is intensified, the nerves are supplied with nutrients and oxygen and the body holds on to its youthful condition. As the old Chinese proverb says, “Truly, a flexible back makes for a long life.”

The physical benefits of yoga can also include weight loss, improvement in ailments such as constipation and improved circulation.

Other Benefits

There are many other benefits of a regular yoga practice. My classes always contain a good proportion of relaxation between postures and a deep relaxation at the end. This balance of exercise and rest offers practitioners benefits such as a more balanced mind and improved concentration.

For me, yoga provides me with the a wonderful combination of feeling relaxed, balanced, strong and flexible. For those that I have taught I have seen them express their joy at achieving a particular asana (posture) and going on to continue with their practice to an advanced level.

Yoga has changed my life for the better. I hope you will join my classes and see how it can improve your life too.

I wish you peace, love and joy.

• Keep muscles youthful and supple into old age

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