What are the benefits of yoga?
Yoga is an ancient practice with a rich and often controversial history. But its proven physical and mental benefits are undeniable, especially today in our constantly connected, techno-crazed culture.
Yoga benefit |
There are loads of reasons to try yoga. It enhances physical health by improving muscle tone and flexibility; it reduces stress by increasing energy levels; it promotes a sense of balance among body, mind, and spirit; it can be done anywhere without any equipment or special clothing other than the traditional loose garments that provide comfort but not constriction - plus there's no risk for injury due to overuse or improper technique if you learn how to do yoga correctly. If you have the time, the money, or any combination of both, to practice yoga regularly for many months or years, you will develop a strong connection with your inner self that you never knew existed.
Yoga
is practiced in many different ways. The specific form of yoga that I most
enjoy and recommend to others is called Hatha Yoga. Hatha means
"forceful". In other words, Yoga teaches how to make the body
harmonious and easy to move through space. I base my teaching on an eight-step
hierarchy of expertise I received from Swami Chidananda while he was living in
San Francisco during the 1950s.
Yoga is different. Swami Chidananda taught me that the best way to improve your health is like climbing a mountain; it's slow, slow, and steady. You can't rush into it.
If
you do slow and steady, you'll get a lot farther than if you try to jump up the
mountain as fast as you can. You'll find that even though it takes time to
reach the top of Mount Everest, you still have time at the bottom to enjoy how
beautiful and magnificent mountaintop scenery is. Great yoga takes time, so I
would recommend starting with at least a month's practice for beginners.