Yoga Helps Written by Holly Culpepper
It does not matter your age or capabilities. Everyone can do some form or variation of yoga. There are many different styles to choose from, from hard and sweaty to mild and gentle. Yoga is also low impact.
Just adding a few poses to your daily routine can help your health in many unexpected ways! When starting a yoga practice, start small with 10-15 minutes and gradually increase.
Yoga is a Sanskrit word for union, the union of the mind and body. Yoga is called a practice because the work will never end. You continue to work on your body and your mind during yoga practice.
Yoga also utilizes breathing techniques. These techniques help you stay focused, reduce stress, and relax the nervous system. One of the techniques is belly breathing. To practice belly breathing, inflate the abdomen as you inhale and empty the abdomen as you exhale.
Yoga is thousands of years old and has a ton of benefits, and improves the following. 4 Strength 4 Flexibility 4 Arthritis symptoms 4 Heart health 4 Stress 4 Sleep 4 Energy 4 Moods 4 Bone density 4 Metal decline 4 Depression 4 Posture 4 Endurance
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Most yoga classes end with some meditation. You can do breathing exercises in corps pose with your eyes closed. During this time, the teacher will walk you through the steps to calm your mind and relax your body. They will also help you become more in tune with your body and mind. Sometimes warm or cool compresses are applied with essential oils (like we do in the gym) to increase relaxation. Incense and sage burning are also commonplace. Meditation is what makes some of the above-listed benefits possible. Calming the mind and relaxing the body is the most natural medicine.
