YOGA - This Is Why I Practice

Yoga teaches me how to stand on the earth, how to move in harmony with all living things and with myself.  Yoga keeps me strong and balanced in my body and my mind.  

I never would have imagined the true extent of my body’s capabilities and functions without the knowledge and understanding I have gained through my yoga practice.  I have come to respect yoga and Ayurveda, the science behind yoga, so deeply that I feel compelled to share it with the world.

I am not alone.  For thousands of years people have been touched by the teachings of yoga, and its popularity continues to grow because of the life changing effect it has on those who actively practice.  The information that follows is a mere summary of a philosophy so expansive it simply cannot be represented in one article.  The goal of this post is to familiarize beginners, newcomers or any interested readers with some of the physiological concepts and benefits behind this beautiful exercise.

Yoga is a guide for total wellness.  

Need I say more?  Of course it will take more than that to familiarize you so let’s take a moment to explore the body, beginning with posture. Yes, of course we all know that good posture is important, but it is very difficult to understand what good posture is without specific understanding of body alignment.  My father always told me, “Chin up, shoulders back.”  But no matter how much I explored those directions, I couldn’t get the position to feel quite right.  It wasn’t until I began practicing yoga that I truly started to understand.

Good posture enables the body to function in the most effective manner. Yoga builds the body into proper alignment so it naturally comes to rest in good posture.  By counteracting the compressing effects of poor posture we are able to breath deeper, digest food more efficiently, and allow our organs to function at their maximum capacity.  When the shoulders droop forward there is an immediate decrease in the lungs’ capacity.  Slump over for a moment and notice the drop in your lung capacity.  Or if your position is slouched to begin with, try arching back slightly and notice the difference in your breath.  If we cannot breath fully into our lungs, we take less oxygen into the body.  Oxygen levels affect our brain function and energy levels.  Good oxygen levels promote faster healing of injuries and slow the aging process.  By simply adjusting our posture, we will dramatically impact the amount of oxygen we draw in through each breath, thus drastically affecting our health and our longevity.

Free Flow 

Take a minute to imagine free flow in your body.  It feels nice, right?  Yoga uses postures, movement and breath to strengthen the outer body, casting it into the correct position and enabling all those systems to flow free.  Aside from protecting the body’s structure, yoga works to heal and regulate the internal functions of the body as well.  

The whole body and its systems were considered when yoga was developed.  Every pose is designed to treat a specific body function as well as aid in the preservation of the body’s structure.  Every organ, the digestive system, the endocrine system, thyroid and brain functions are conditioned and maintained through yoga practice.  These systems are so important because they control our chemical constitution - our weight, hormones, metabolism, immune system, mental capacity, sexual function - even our mood is determined by how well and how efficiently these body systems are operating. 

Yoga takes a holistic approach to the body, meaning all of the body’s systems are understood to be related and working together.  For this reason, isolation of one muscle group is not a concept used in yoga.  Every part of our body and the breath is utilized to aid another part of the body in the pose.  This holistic understanding of the body enables us to posture or utilize the body in the best manner at any given moment throughout our day.  If I had understood these concepts when my father was telling me to stand up straight and tall I would have been able to adjust my chin and shoulders correctly.  I would have understood that those parts of my body and all the rest are related. 

 Simply turning my chin up and dropping my shoulders back will not give me good posture—rather I must maneuver them in accordance with the rest of my frame.  

Many of us have poor posture.  Instead of lifting up out of the earth or the furniture we sit on, we collapse onto ourselves, compressing our lungs, damaging our joints and inhibiting that beneficial free flow.  It is difficult to sit up straight when the muscles aren’t primed to hold us upright.  Similarly, it is nearly impossible to sit up properly without feeling pain or discomfort if the body has been formed into incorrect posture over time.  Holding ourselves up, supporting our bodies in the correct manner can be extremely difficult for those reasons, but when the body is primed by yoga, it naturally sits in the correct position, without pain or discomfort.

Because yoga gives the practitioner an inherent understanding of proper body positioning, it enables the practitioner to heal and protect his or her body from daily strain.  

Bending over to pick up a child, lifting heavy objects, sitting at a computer – any task done repeatedly throughout the day can have ill effects on the body if it is not counteracted.  

Understanding how to sit, stand, sleep, move and counteract these imbalances becomes clear after spending even a short amount of time practicing yoga.   

Instead of crunching exercises, yoga poses work to elongate the frame and then work the muscles so they are strengthened in an elongated position.   This helps to create space in the body which enables the free flow and defends against painful joint compression and “shrinking” associated with old age. 

If you drive to your yoga class, you will notice after getting back into the car that you will have to readjust the rearview mirror.  

The fluid movements used in yoga are highly beneficial for the connective tissue, meaning greater range of motion and decreased body pain for the practitioner.  Mindful breathing techniques utilized in yoga, help to regulate blood pressure, calm the nervous system and offer many other health benefits that promote greater health and longevity.  

Yoga is a sustainable exercise model and can be practiced anyone throughout the entire life span.  It is a program that allows for countless modifications, making it a viable exercise option for people of any age or skill level.  No machines are necessary to facilitate the exercise.  Body type and state of health determine the method of the practice and allows for the practitioner to tailor the program to fit their needs.  In yoga, the muscles, bones, breath and floor are all utilized along with mindful concentration to move the body into a position designed for maximum “treatment."  

Some may argue that yoga does not offer a good cardiovascular workout but of the many different types of yoga, some are specifically designed to address cardio health.  In addition, Pranayama (breathing exercises) were designed to support the cardiovascular system.  If you find your practice is not meeting this important health aspect then it is important to supplement with activities that will ensure good circulatory health.

Complete health is not limited to our physique.

Modern medicine is beginning to acknowledge the relation between a person’s thought processes and their health. Yoga aims to work all of the aspects of the body, including the mind.  Yoga (asana) practice is the physical exercise to keep the body in good health. It is the aspect of yoga that most of us understand.  But the main purpose of the exercises in yoga is to prepare the body for meditation – mind exercises that are extremely beneficial in keeping good mental health.  The state of our minds determines whether or not we are able to cultivate happy and healthy relationships with ourselves and the people in our lives.  Many people feel that this is the greatest benefit of yoga.  

The yoga practitioner can look forward to a lifelong exploration and a thorough understanding of their bodies and their minds.  This understanding brings one of the greatest senses of achievement this world can offer: 

a Sense of Self

On a personal level, yoga teaches me how to nurture and care for myself.  My happiness and well-being is directly related to my practice.  My yoga practice centers me.  When anxiety of any kind arises in my day I am shaken from my center if I am active in my practice.  Yoga helps me maintain consistency.  It brings balance and facilitates a natural desire to choose healthy options in all aspects of my world.  

If you have never practiced yoga before, I encourage you to give it a try.  Your body, mind and loved ones will thank you.  Take classes at several yoga studios so you can explore the different types of yoga and styles of teaching that fit your personality. While a very small percentage of people do not notice an immediate difference in the way they feel doing yoga,  many others have experiences so profound they never seek another exercise model again.  

Exploring yoga means you are exploring yourself.  Be curious and thoughtful in your approach.  Don't try too hard or be too serious. You will gain the most benefit by playfully exploring your practice and being patient and loving towards yourself in the process.  

Om Shanti