Menu
  • Menu
  • By Scott McLeod


    Flexibility is required to do yoga. "I can't go to yoga, I'm not flexible."

    * That's the point in doing it! : ) Yoga helps you become flexible and provides your body its benefits. Perhaps you have some social anxiety about looking "foolish" among a group of flexible yoga regulars.

    * Well, just so you know, there are PLENTY of people in yoga class at the bottom of the totem pole in terms of flexibility. You gotta start somewhere, right? The important part is STARTING. If you feel a little uneasy in front more experienced people start at home and build your confidence. But in reality? I wouldn't worry about it!

    Yoga is not for men... that's a woman thing

    * Rubbish! The beginnings of yoga started thousands of years ago with MEN and its original masters known by "yogis" were MEN. I understand that their is a more traditional perception that yoga is more for females but that is a very outdated notion. Just take a look around a yoga studio or yoga class at your gym. A lot more dudes than you'd expect!

    * Yoga is constantly pushing into mainstream consciousness and its benefits are too good to be localized to one gender. It's catching on guys! Many studios are at a 2:1 female to male ratio now, compared to a 10:1 roughly 10 to 20 years ago. Besides guys, being surrounded and outnumbered by health conscious females can't be all bad.

    Yoga costs too much money

    * You can find just about anything FREE on YouTube. There are even free websites with pictorial and written instructions. However, even though yoga studios may be more spendy in general, they usually have more inexpensive beginner classes. Online programs geared specifically for weight loss are very reasonable and under satisfaction guarantees.

    * Your local gym more than likely has classes available at no charge or for a few extra bucks added to your membership fee per month. The kinds of classes that are available are key considerations when shipping for a gym. Most chains like Gold's Gym, L.A. Fitness and 24 Hour Fitness all have built in classes.

    * Think ahead and beyond. The benefits afforded your health are going to really start adding up on your bank statements after months of reduced doctor visits and decreased medication needs. Yoga is therefore efficient not only for your body but also your wallet!

    Yoga is for hipsters and young things

    * I can see this more "social legitimacy" in decades past. Yoga is an eastern based practice and involves incorporating and harmonizing all components of the human being, not the least of which being spiritual. It only makes sense that it originally gained more traction when it was first introduced with more free-spirited and "hippy-type" individuals.

    * BUT Yoga's non-debatable health benefits are being proven more and more within well-planned and funded scientific research studies. The practical benefits simply can't be ignored no matter what age, gender or background you come from.

    Yoga is not for weight loss

    * FALSE indeed. The reasons yoga contributes and causes weight loss may be a bit of a surprise. Many of the mechanisms are not well-known and some of them are based on more spiritual philosophies of eastern thought. But it is enough to say that someone who suffers from obesity is under the heavy hand of an under-achieving metabolic system.

    * Yoga increases blood flow and perfusion to your entire body systems. Shifts and contortions performed in poses therapeutically "squeeze" your organs, inevitably leading to more blood flow, optimal function and toxin removal. Proper circulation allows the body to naturally remove toxins, like a river sweeping away debris. Good circulation also delivers more oxygen and nutrients in order to optimally carry out metabolic function and body transformation.

    * In an emotional context, the body harbors pain and negativity. Our baggage likes to hide out and weight us down. Yoga not only relaxes the body but also releases these negative entities allowing us to feel lighter and more care-free. Baggage negatively affects our health and well being. Release it!

    * Energy centers - Yoga unblocks your energy centers or (chakras) within the body that regulate everything from the immune system to digestion. Many things can kind of "constipate" these energy centers and slow down our bodies. Whether or not you choose to believe this, much research is beginning to unearth this truth, and nonetheless dramatic health improvements are made.

    There aren't other forms of Yoga

    * There are many different kinds of yoga and each emphasizes a certain aspect of its general principles and goals. The most world-known practice of yoga is Hatha yoga but within the United States we are familiar with Vinyasa or Flow Yoga, Bikram or Hot Yoga, Power Yoga and yes even meditation falls within the category of yoga. In this article, we will not further discuss the differences and strengths of these various styles.

    Yoga cannot be practiced by persons with injuries or chronic pain

    * On the contrary, yoga has been shown to considerably alleviate many chronic pain conditions including chronic back pain and arthritis (rheumatoid). Any medical conditions or such injuries should always be discussed with a yoga instructor so as to insure proper precautions and maximum benefit.




    About the Author:



    0 comments:

    Post a Comment

     
    Top