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“Yoga is strong medicine but slow medicine. A drug may be faster out of the blocks but yoga is often the tortoise that wins the race to better health.”
-- Timothy McCall, MD,
Yoga as Medicine (Bantam Dell, 2007)
Builds strength, stamina, flexibility
* Opens joints and allows synovial fluid to lubricate them, keeping joints healthy over
a lifetime
* Lengthens muscles (“a long muscle is a strong muscle”)
* Increases body awareness, which leads to better posture, thereby improving lung
capacity and less stress on the heart, as well as building a stronger, healthier back
* Strengthens bones, reducing the risk of osteoporosis
* Improves the health of the spine (“You are as old as your spine”)
* Decreases--and sometimes eliminates--back pain
* Prepares the pregnant woman’s body for childbirth
Improves mental focus
* Increases oxygen to the brain by using simple breathing techniques
* During the relaxation portion of the yoga practice (Savasana), the mind is
quiet and calm. As opposed to sleep, this experience is a conscious state of deep
relaxation
* Balancing poses (also increases bone density and helps prevent falling, especially
beneficial in the elderly)
Increases energy
* Increases lung capacity
* Increases oxygenation in tissues and vital organs
* Better elimination of toxins by improved circulation throughout the body
Reduces Stress and Calms Central Nervous System
* Using simple breathing techniques, reduces anxiety, lowers cortisol levels in the brain
and stimulates the sympathetic nervous system (“calming effect”), increases alpha
waves, and may lower blood pressure
* By turning our awareness inward (one of the steps in yoga’s eight-limbed path)
through focusing on the breath, we can protect our senses from external noise,
which has been shown to raise stress levels
* Reduces anger
Eliminates Toxins
* Through twists, opening joints, stretching muscles, releasing “stuck fascia”, and
breathwork, many toxins in the body are unclogged and eliminated.
Creates a profound sense of well-being
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What yoga is not
* It’s not a ‘magic pill’
* It’s not a religion. People who practice yoga are of various faiths, all of which
are respected. Yoga is a deeply personal experience. Some people choose to
practice only the physical postures (asana), while others decide to explore the
spiritual side as well.
Who can do yoga?
Anyone!
Anywhere!
People with physical limitations, in wheelchairs, with any level of disability, at any age!
Yoga is for every BODY
Don’t wait any longer...call today to schedule an appointment. Your body and mind will be forever grateful!
Call direct at 540-841-2790
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