Yoga and You!

Yoga is for almost everyone. Anyone can practice some or all the steps of Hatha Yoga regardless of your age, physical or emotional state, religion, or background. One of the most wonderful attributes of yoga is that it can be adjusted to you personally. Your yoga teacher can help you! Just ask. We love to recommend variations of postures for our students or suggest ways to practice that are most comfortable for your situation.

Athletes - Working at a gym gave me the opportunity to work with weight lifters, swimmers, runners, tennis players, and everyone in-between. These athletes are pleasantly surprised to find that yoga is great cross-training. Balancing poses and deep stretching postures help to keep the athletic body subtle, strong and balanced. Breath meditation is also very soothing and helps to build and define the respiratory system for greater endurance.

Children - Kids and babies are natural yogis. Their bodies are so flexible! When we learn yoga at a young age, we counter-act some of the tensing we may do later on in life. An early start with yoga poses will keep these little bodies healthier as they grow. Animal poses are the best; cobra, turtle, flamingo, cat, lion, dog, and butterfly to name a few. Making the animal sounds can be a real hoot! Check out the video called YogaKids available from (800) 2LIVING.

Menopause - Before, during, and after menopause is a special time to get in touch with yourself. A slow restorative approach works well for most, but then there is also the more vigorous approach where a flowing, sweaty practice really feels good. Try both. Depending on your mood both physically or emotionally, one may work one day and then the other the next.

Post-Operative - After an operation or a prolonged hospital stay, it is important to reestablish your connection to your body. Not that you ever lost it! Yoga is therapy for your soul–body, mind, and spirit. Gentle and slow movements with various spinal twists seem helpful. This type of practice tends to release latent energy stored up in the spleen and will speed the healing process. I suggest private lessons for the first month or two and then slowly make your way into a regular routine.

Pregnancy - Great for both mommy and baby, prenatal yoga focuses on releasing pressure in mom’s body and making the trip out for the baby smooth and easy. Special yoga classes geared for pregnant women are absolutely wonderful to attend and the human support system is certainly a great benefit. Nurturing postures support the body and gentle stretches help take the pain out of carrying the extra weight around the mid-section.

Seniors - As we age, we begin to stiffen if we don’t keep moving. Yoga is a gentle way to either reawaken sleepy joints and muscles or keep the body soft and flowing. Luckily, classes geared toward seniors are popping up all over the place. If none are available to you, take your time to find a good class that motivates you and feels a bit challenging. You will be surprised to find that after a few months, you will suddenly find that youthfulness again.