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What are the Benefits of Yoga?
The benefits of yoga are many.
Physically, yoga fosters strength, stamina, good posture and
alignment, and increased balance and flexibility. Mentally,
yoga encourages a strong focus of concentration and steady
attention, as well as provides tools to quiet the mind at
will. Emotionally, yoga offers peace and relaxation, and the
ability to connect with an inner still point that cultivates a calm
attitude.
Yoga is a proven technique with
thousands of years of history. By practicing Hatha Yoga,
(the postures and breathing practices) millions of people
over the millennia have experienced health benefits. Other
aspects of the yogic lifestyle and principles (such as diet,
ethical practices, and meditation) add a further dimension
that enhances your life. These practices are simply a way of
saying for yourself, "I care about the quality of my
experience in this embodied life. I want to take every
opportunity to be in a good connection with my body,
my mind, and my spirit, and with those around
me."
Why is YOGA a good strategy for dealing with Stress?
In the Body
Yoga works in the body, and much of our daily stress gets transferred to, and stored in the body. Ongoing accumulations of tension and anxiety reveal themselves as knots, soreness, stiffness, and pain in muscles and joints. Chronic stress is a primary contributor to many more serious health problems. Stress can threaten long term health and longevity, and causes our bodies to become uncomfortable places to simply BE!
In the Mind
Yoga works in the mind, where stress typically begins. When you begin to think about an unpleasant or worrisome event in the future, you begin to build stress. When you begin to think about an unpleasant or worrisome event in the past, you begin to build pressure. When you keep your focus of attention in the here-and-now, pressure is much less likely to build up. Yoga is, more than anything, about learning to keep your moment-to-moment awareness here and now, with you, whenever you choose.
In the Heart and Soul
Yoga works in the heart and soul where stress takes a toll in the form of depression, numbness, anxiety, feeling restless, lost or simply ill at ease. Strain shows up in your emotions and your spirit. You just know whether you feel "okay" with yourself and the world, or not.
Yoga can HELP--
In the body: Yoga postures bring better and more complete
circulation to muscles, bones, joints and organs. Yoga movements extend
flexibility and build better balance gradually, gently. Breathing practices
create fuller oxygenation of the blood. Complete breathing helps create a
thorough exchange/release of carbon dioxide and normal toxins that result from metabolic processes.
In the mind: Developing a strong focus facilitates mental clarity and ability to be in charge of where the mind goes.
Steady concentration can help slow or still the mind when you desire. Connecting the mind to your present moment experience
in your physical sensations forms the powerful mind-body link which is thought to strengthen immunity and healing.
In the spirit: Yoga gives your soul a rest. Your spirit might be perfectly happy just to rest deeply and rejuvenate
in the light of your conscious awareness. Some of us feel a longing to connect with something deeper than that. Yoga offers the opportunity to attune with the Spirit that lives in each one of us.
The fundamental truth of Yogic teachings is that our essence is blissful, filled with peace, that our true nature
is serene and content.
"Just so . . all beings live, every moment, in the city of the divine, but never find the divine
because it is hidden. " (from the Chandogya Upanishad.)
So though our serenity is already there, there are many things that disturb or conceal it. Yoga is the process of revealing
all manner of things which separate us from that.
