The Power of Yoga

It is unclear exactly when Yoga orignated, but scholars generally believe that it was from India 5,000 or more years ago from the desire for greater personal freedom, health and long life, and heightened self-understanding. This practice of Yoga has been passed from teacher to student through oral and visual instruction.

Still, what is clear is that by incorporating exercise, breathing, and meditation, Yoga has endless benefits for all types of people.

Yoga is great for increasing energy because it helps warm your body up for the day.

There are a variety of poses in Yoga such as Standing, Twisting, Back Bending, and Seated. Each has its own set of benefits and combining a sequence with a variety will give you the best results and bring your body into balance thus increasing your energy throughout the day.

• Twisting poses: release toxins from the body and help you to better digest food.

• Back bending poses: keep your spine strong and flexible, which is important to injury and deterioration of healthy cartiledge and tissues.

• Seated poses: increase flexibility and prevent injury.

• Balance poses: increase concentration and increases balance to help prevent falls that can seriously injure your body as you age.

• Standing poses: increase strength and form leaner muscle.

Yoga is beneficial for all people and can even help people with old injuries break up scar tissue and muscle fascia. Yoga helps to lower blood pressure and decrease stress which is important because stress is a factor in the development of many diseases.

Great yoga positions for the morning is the sun salutation sequence including downward dog, forward folds, lunges, and low cobras. This sequence is designed to get the blood flowing and body moving as you salute the sun that greets you in the beginning of the day. Kids love playing games with yoga, and animal poses are popular with them. Children can find benefit from almost any pose because it helps to keep the flexibility in our body as we age.

Both men and women can benefit from all yoga poses unless they have had a recent injury or feel sharp pain during the practice of a pose. Women on their menstrual cycle are not advised to go upside down during that time. Pregnant women should not do deep twists or upside down poses and should use lots of props to support them during their practice. If anyone has any specific health concerns or reservations they should consult with their doctor before practicing yoga.

Yoga is great for weight loss and strengthening your core as well. People who suffer from chronic depression benefit from yoga, especially inverted poses which flip your heart over your head and replenish your brain with new blood and energy.

All of the classes offered at Core are suitable for beginners and modifications are offered to adjust to an individuals level or ability. Everyone’s body is different so everyone’s adjustments are different as well. If you would like to learn more about the CORE Yoga programs, check out www.santacruzcorec.wpengine.com/yoga