Lifestyle

Why Yoga?

The list of benefits from doing yoga are endless and substantial. Yoga helps to get you in shape, change your shape and keep that shape! You will become stronger, leaner, and longer with a regular Hatha Yoga practice. Internally, it will help to improve your blood circulation, digestion, lymphatic function, immune system, pain reduction, hormone levels and reduction in stress on your internal organs – all of which is just from breathing!

One in ten people suffer from a full range of breathing pattern disorders. Learning how to settle into a restful breathing pattern will help reduce these kinds of attacks and disease. A well-rounded yoga practice will strengthen the skeleton, muscles, ligaments, tendons, joints, fascia, cartilage, and bursa. If any of these major body parts bother you, then it may be time to incorporate yoga into your life.

Yoga helps to reduce stress, improve focus and concentration, bring mental clarity and allows for creativity to grow and flow. It allows a time of rest for the brain; an hour of nothing but you. There is no safer public place than a yoga class for allowing time to stop and listen.

Yoga will allow you to become more graceful, and that can mean many things to you. It will help you to discover your true nature or spirit. We forget that we are worthy of self-care, and yoga reminds us and brings us back to that realization.

Yoga allows us to become aware of what is happening inside our bodies. People hold all kinds of stress and emotion, good and bad, in different areas from head to toe, and this can continue for many years. When we start to release into these tight and tender areas, improving circulation in our energy lines (meridians), the tension is released and the body can provide an emotional release.

Yoga brings us back to balance within ourselves, physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally. It may not happen in your first class, your first session or your first year, but you will notice a slight change in your first class.

I encourage you to get out and explore a gentle Hatha practice to start, and then go on to try different yoga styles, Yang and Yin. There are countless styles, teachers, methods and studios available. Find knowledgeable teachers who will lead you safely to bliss. Listen to your own body. Be aware of where you are starting from and be curious to where the journey takes you.

Whether you are exploring yoga for the physical, mental, spiritual or emotional benefits, it doesn’t really matter because you become a healthier, happier being, and people will notice a change in you.

With all of these benefits, everyone should incorporate yoga into their lives, so bring all of the wonderful people in your life and explore the path together.

Relax, Rejuvenate, Rebalance.

Ruby teaches Gentle Hatha and Yin Yoga in and around her community of Rocky Mountain House, AB. Her passion lies with teaching a gentle Yin/Yang yoga that everyone can participate in and enjoy! Her goal is to help rebalance the body and mind by linking the breath with effective, subtle movements. You can find her on Facebook at Rebalance Yoga for more information.