Is Yoga Good for You?
Saturday, October 20th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed
We all know that exercise is a good thing, right? It’s an important part of a healthy lifestyle. The problem then becomes, “What kind of exercise should I choose?” There are a bewildering number of fitness options to choose from, but not all of them will be suitable for YOUR fitness level or needs. Yoga, on the other hand, IS appropriate for ALL fitness levels - beginners, intermediate and advanced fitness buffs alike. Yoga also has the benefit of training and calming the mins and spirit as well as your body. I guess you could call it a “holistic” fitness regime. Those people who have been practising yoga for some time seem to be in tune with their bodies and instinctively appear to know when something is wrong, often before symptoms arise. This ‘”advance notice” allows yoga buffs to seek help before an illness becomes full blown and difficult to combat. The physical benefits, however, are legion.
For the Body
The regular practice of yoga will improve flexibility to all of the joints of the body. Increased flexibility means increased fitness level, and it also means prevention of injury as the body ages and joints tend to stiffen up. It has also been shown that yoga positions can exercise the tendons and ligaments of the body as well, also leading to a reduced risk of injury as one ages. Yoga can also tone all of the muscles, leading to a leaner, tighter body overall. From an internal standpoint, this discipline is the only one that can also massage all of the internal organs as well as contribute to the detoxifying of the body through increased blood flow. The other great thing about yoga is that any fitness level can benefit from this discipline, starting with some of the easier positions and gradually working into the more challenging poses as your fitness level increases.
For the Mind
Yoga is not just about physical fitness, since this discipline relies strongly on the union between mind body and spirit. This is why meditation is such an integral part of the discipline overall and why yoga can lead to increased focus and concentration abilities. This is also why this type of exercise is so helpful in managing the stress that is a common byproduct of life today. For the ancient yogis who practiced this discipline daily, the ultimate goal of yoga was enlightenment or self realization. While not all of us will head to a yoga class with enlightenment in mind, the mental and emotional benefits of this type of exercise will certainly not be lost on us. Yoga is truly a unity of mind, body and spirit for maximum health and wellness.
