Yoga is a low impact exercise that individuals of every age can perform to sustain a healthier lifestyle. This form of exercise has been used for over 5,000 years and has recently become one of the most popular exercises due to the fact that it can be done in a group or alone. Yoga can truly be practiced anywhere — inside of your bedroom, at the beach, in the gym, and just about anywhere else that is quiet and spacious.

Benefits of Yoga

Yoga is a very effective exercise when it comes to improving strength, flexibility, relaxation, balance and breathing. There are many benefits associated with the practice of yoga, including:

• Flexibility – Yoga in general does an excellent job of increasing the body’s flexibility.
• Massaging of internal organs – Yoga can have an extremely positive impact on the body’s internal organs.
• Muscle toning – Yoga is an excellent muscle building and toning activity.
• Relaxation and stress reduction – Yoga asanas provide extreme mental peace and relaxation.
• Detoxification – Shatkarmas or Shatkriyas are extremely powerful in helping to improve immunity and eliminate toxins.
• Strength – Yoga can be very helpful when it comes to developing strength and stamina.
• Posture – As many chiropractors and back specialists have discovered, yoga can help with posture and even scoliosis.
• Circulation – Yoga has been shown to have a positive impact on the circulation of the body’s lymphatic channels.
• Weight loss – Yoga is an excellent weight management tool.

Who is Yoga Ideal For?

When many individuals think of yoga, they think of having to stretch out like a gymnast. That image often intimidates people who may be concerned that they are too old or physically unfit to perform yoga. The truth is, you are never too old to increase flexibility.

• A Good Age for Yoga?

Throughout the world, millions upon millions of people have transformed their lives through the practice of this ancient science. Yoga is an amazing system of special breathing techniques, postures, and relaxation routines which act together to harmonize every aspect of the individual.

How Does Yoga Work?

Yoga poses work by safely stretching out the body’s muscles. This stretching releases the built-up lactic acid from the muscle that causes tension, stiffness, fatigue, and pain. Practicing yoga tends to increase concentration, sharpen the memory, and increase a person’s ability to learn. Regular practitioners of yoga report a heightened sense of well-being along with increased mood improvement and decreasing feelings of depression and anxiety.

Yoga also improves joint range of motion. It has been discovered that the body, which may have been very rigid prior to performing yoga, begins to experience increased flexibility even in the parts which have not been consciously worked upon.

Another area that yoga works well in is spinal alignment. Most individuals who have problems with back pain spend loads of time sitting at a computer or driving a car, and this can cause spinal compression and tightness. Yoga improves the lubrication of the ligaments, joints, and tendons in the body. In addition to this, yoga also massages the internal organs within the body. This massage and stimulation can make the organs work properly.

Types of Yoga

There are several different types of yoga being practiced today. While all yoga styles are based on the same physical postures or poses, each one has a specific area of emphasis.

• Ananda – Focuses on gentle postures that are designed to transfer energy to the brain and prepare the body for meditation. Proper body alignment and controlled breathing are also areas of emphasis.
• Anusara – Started by John Friend in 1997, Anusara is a modern school of hatha yoga that is grounded in a Tantric philosophy of intrinsic goodness.
• Ashtanga – Taught by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois (1915-2009). Involves synchronizing the breath with a progressive series of postures which creates intense internal heat and a profuse, purifying sweat that detoxifies muscles and organs. Improves circulation and produces a strong body and calm mind.
• Bikram – Also known as hot yoga, Bikram is a system that Bikram Choudhury created using traditional yoga techniques and popularized in the early 1970s.
• Hatha – A basic form of yoga that is very easy to learn. It combines postures, breathing, meditation, and kundalini to achieve self-enlightenment.
• Integral – A traditional yoga form that incorporates breathing exercises, postures, selfless service, chanting, meditation, prayer, and self-inquiry.
• Iyengar – Created by B.K.S. lyengar, this yoga form is known for using props such as blocks and belts to aid in performing postures.
• Jivamukti – A challenging form of yoga, Jivamukti focuses on the ethical and spiritual aspects of yoga.
• Kali Ray – Developed in 1980 by Kali Ray, this yoga form combines breathing exercises, meditation, and flowing dancelike movements.
• Kripalu – A gentle, introspective form of yoga that encourages practitioners to release spiritual and emotional blockage while holding poses.
• Kundalini – Uses chanting, postures, meditation, and breathing exercises to send energy from the base of the spine upward.
• Restorative – Focuses on relaxing the body in restful postures, allowing the body to renew and heal.
• Sivananda – Another traditional type of yoga that focuses on preserving the health and wellness of the practitioner.
• Svaroopa – Provides a good entry into the world of yoga, focusing on transformation and healing.
• Viniyoga – A therapeutic form of yoga that focuses on healing.
• Vinyasa – A physically demanding form of yoga that focuses on connecting movement and breath.
• White Lotus – Developed by Ganga White, this form of yoga combines breathwork and meditation.

Yoga Poses

At the core of every yoga style are poses, or asanas. While there are various degrees of difficulty when it comes to yoga poses, they all have certain mental and physical benefits.

• Index of Yoga Poses

Pranayama – Yoga Breathing

Pranayama, or “breath control”, is one of the five principles of yoga. Regulating the breath plays a vital role in increasing blood and oxygen flow to the brain, and it works in conjunction with the asanas.

Yoga Props and Equipment

While the practice of yoga doesn’t require much in the way of equipment, there are a few commonly used props that should be mentioned:

• Yoga mat
• Yoga blocks
• Straps