What is yoga and what are its benefits?

What is yoga and what are its benefits?

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What is Yoga?

Yoga is a physical activity that includes breathing and movement, and is highly participatory, offering several different paths and ways to do it. What Yoga Is Not Yoga is not a specific religious doctrine or a religion. Yoga is not only body and mind, but also emotions, spirituality, well-being, and self-discovery. Yoga is not about rigid body postures. Yoga is not just for the young and skinny. What Does Yoga Look Like? Yoga looks beautiful, especially when you get down on the floor and flow with your breath.

  • Yoga is a physical and mental practice. 
  • Yoga is physical activity with a spiritual/meditative side. 

Example: – 

  • Yoga improves strength, balance, and flexibility. 
  • Yoga helps with back pain relief. 
  • Yoga can ease arthritis symptoms. 
  • Yoga benefits heart health. Yoga relaxes you, to help you sleep better.
  • Yoga can mean more energy and brighter moods. 
  • Yoga helps you manage stress. 
  • Yoga connects you with a supportive community.

The Benefits of Yoga

  • Lifting the Body (CORE TREATMENTS) Exercise can help with chronic pain, digestive issues, chronic backaches, and more. Yoga is a great way to get started on a fitness plan. Exercise increases blood flow, helping to relieve muscle tension and stress. 
  • A study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) found that four or more weekly yoga sessions helped women with lower back pain ease their symptoms. 
  • Movement exercises, including yoga, can also improve posture, decrease muscle tension and improve balance. More about yoga for chronic back pain: Lifting the Body Raising your arms can improve balance. 
  • Putting your legs in the air increases strength and balance. Swimming stretches your muscles. Raising your arms can improve balance. 
  • Yoga stretches your body.

How to Practice Yoga

Meditation, posture, breathing, and meditation (if it’s your thing) are all very important aspects of yoga. One of the greatest benefits of practicing yoga is that meditation allows you to control your mind. The non-judgmental and gentle nature of meditation allows you to focus on your breathing and daily life. The beauty of yoga is that it’s adaptable to every person and everybody. It’s safe to begin practicing yoga at any age, but if you’re pregnant or are having a baby, check with your doctor first. Check with your doctor before taking yoga to the next level. Pregnancy and baby yoga can improve your flexibility and circulation, in addition to helping with postpartum pains and back pain.

Conclusion

So, you’re thinking of starting yoga. Great! Yoga is a great choice for beginners because it is a low-impact workout that uses your body weight, and in most classes, you will be paired up with a trained instructor who can help you with technique and breathing. There are lots of great yoga classes in the Gorge area, and the yoga scene here is expanding rapidly. For those in-between students looking for a studio, you may have to search a bit longer but chances are you’ll find one! Jan Huscher is a licensed massage therapist and yoga instructor. Huscher has been practicing massage therapy for 15 years. She has also been teaching yoga for the past five years and has a studio in The Dalles called Earth and Sky Wellness Studio.

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