“Health is the thing that makes you feel that now is the best time.”
-Franklin Pierce Adams-
“The purpose of yoga is to create strength, awareness and harmony in both the mind and body,” explains Natalie Nevins, DO, a board-certified osteopathic family physician and certified Kundalini Yoga instructor in Hollywood, California.
While there are more than 100 different types, or schools, of yoga, most sessions are typically include breathing exercises, meditation, and assuming postures (called asana or poses) that stretch and flex various muscle groups which are appropriate to your own physical level.
The relaxation techniques incorporated in yoga can lessen chronic pain, such as lower back pain, arthritis, headaches, and carpal tunnel syndrome, lower blood pressure, stress, and bring focus and clarity to your life.
Other physical benefits of yoga include
• Increased flexibility
• Increased muscle strength and tone
• Improved respiration, energy and vitality
• Maintaining a balanced metabolism
• Cardio and circulatory health
• Improved athletic performance
• Protection from injury
• Stillness of mind bringing clarity and relaxation
• Stress Reduction
Stress Reduction Benefits
Aside from the physical benefits, one of the best benefits of yoga is how it helps a person manage stress, which is known to have devastating effects on the body and mind. Science has shown that stress is related to 90% of all illness! Stress can reveal itself in many ways, including back or neck pain, insomnia, headaches, aanxiety, depression, and a lack of focus. Yoga can be very effective in developing coping skills and reaching a more positive outlook on life.
Yoga’s incorporation of meditation and breathing can help improve a person’s mental well-being. “Regular yoga practice creates mental clarity and calmness; increases body awareness; relieves chronic stress patterns; relaxes the mind; centers attention; and sharpens concentration,” says Dr. Nevins. Body- and self-awareness are particularly beneficial, she adds, “because they can help with early detection of physical problems and allow for early preventive action.”
Yoga Beginners welcome
Because there are so many different kinds of yoga practices, it is possible for anyone to start. I love to work with beginners. Please contact me for a schedule of ongoing classes suitable for all levels, including newbies.
