Benefits of yoga exercise

Yoga—it can be fun or be made fun of. According to a 1994 Roper Poll, over 6 million Americans were actively practicing Yoga in some form and another 16 million were interested but hadn’t tried it yet. Today, these numbers have grown exponentially and would suggest that Yoga has become a mainstream activity. From movie stars to truck drivers, Americans all over the country are embracing this 5,000 year-old method of strengthening the body and calming the mind.

Yoga’s popularity represents the current trend in the fitness industry to employ a mind-body approach to health. Practicing yoga can make you strong, flexible, improve posture and breathing, reduce stress and promote overall well-being. Yoga can even be therapeutic—certain postures and breathing techniques may be recommended to remedy specific structural conditions and physiological functions. Yoga may also offer a spiritual element found lacking in other forms of exercise and fitness.
Hatha Yoga is an integrated system of fitness for body, mind and spirit. Hatha Yoga techniques focus on understanding and improving the body, breath and mind through exercises, breathing techniques and relaxation. From its ancient origins in India, today’s Hatha Yoga has evolved as a means of fitness and personal growth. Yoga, meaning 'union', seeks to unite and restore balance to the entire being. The physical, mental and spiritual dimensions of well-being share equal emphasis in this holistic approach to wellness.

Yoga postures, called asanas, are combined with breathing techniques (pranayama) to help quiet the mind and bring focus to the practice. Benefits include burning calories, stress reduction, greater flexibility, sharpened concentration, enhanced lung capacity, increased strength, tone and endurance and improved posture/corrected alignment.

What is Hatha Yoga?

Hatha Yoga is very essential for our Body, and Mind. Hatha Yoga techniques focus on understanding and improving the body, breath and mind through exercises, breathing techniques and relaxation. From its ancient origins in India, today's Yoga has evolved as a means of fitness and personal growth. Yoga, meaning union, seeks to unite and restore balance to the entire being. The physical, mental and spiritual dimensions of well-being share equal emphasis in this holistic approach to Wellness.

Anyone, at any fitness level and with a wide range of personal and fitness goals, can benefit from beginning a Yoga practice. Yoga postures, called asanas, are combined with breathing techniques to help quiet the mind and bring focus to the practice.

Benefits include:

• Stress Reduction
• Greater Flexibility
• Sharpened concentration
• Enhanced lung capacity
• Increased strength, tone and endurance
• Improved posture and corrected alignment

Integrative Yoga Therapy

This customized Yoga program bridges the timeless insights of Yoga and the new directions in Mind/Body health and healing. The exploration of ancient wisdom and modern research represents a new approach to health, based on Wellness, rather than illness. Emphasis is placed on educating the individual to create optimal health and wellness. Yoga Therapy instruction molds the approach to the needs of the individual. Equal focus is placed on physical, emotional and spiritual dimensions of being.

Integrative Yoga Therapy is valuable for students who sense the need for a student-centered approach to learning Yoga. Yoga Therapy instruction is highly recommended for:
• Students with specific health conditions who would benefit from an approach to Yoga designed for their special needs,

• Students who are out of shape and desire a slow, personally designed program to assist them in enhancing wellness, or those who require individual attention.