« Yoga addresses every organ, bone, muscle and cell of the body. »

B.K.S. Iyengar

The stress of modern life can lead to physical pain and illness, as we neglect our bodies in the race for material success. Many of us are confronted to mental suffering: feelings of inadequacy, isolation or powerlessness.

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Yoga helps to integrate the mental and the physical plane, bringing about a sense of inner and outer balance, in other words alignement to life.

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Sequencing in a therapeutic yoga class has a very specific order. The sequence is built up to respect the positioning of the spine, working gradually from more simple to more complex asanas.

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Nowadays the popularity of this millenary science is greater than ever before. We can find information everywhere but we think that is good to help putting some light in the eyes of who reads these lines and maybe is here with the intention of doing some practice.

We believe that a discipline that allows us to think more clearly, breath more freely and move better, presents only advantages.

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Yoga teaches us that everything we need for being happy and healthy, it’s already inside us, in the different systems that compose our being. We just have to identify and eliminate certain blockages that stay in the way of these natural forces.

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Obstacles in the path of our self-realization indicate themselves in physical or mental indisposition. When our physical state is not perfect, an imbalance in our mental state is caused. Yoga’s system of healing is based on the premise that the body should be allowed to function as naturally as possible.

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But how all this works ? Yoga asanas (postures), while appearing to deal with the physical body alone, actually influence the chemical balance of the brain, which in turn improves one’s mental state of being. Asanas are based on the simple principles of stretching, bending, rotating and relaxing.

These movements have diverse effects on the body’s systems (respiratory, circulatory, nervous, hormonal, digestive, excretory, reproductive), and will either heal or stimulate specific parts of the body.

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During the practice, the organs are nourished with fresh blood and energy. By increasing the circulation of fresh blood through the body, asanas purge it of the diseases and toxines that are the consequences of an irregular lifestyle, unhealthy habits and poor posture.

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Asanas tone the whole body. They strengthen bones and muscles, correct posture, improve breathing and increase energy.

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The tension associated to stress is stored mainly in the muscles, the diaphragm and the nervous system. If these areas are relaxed, stress is reduced. When a part of the body is tense, blood flow to that area decreases, reducing immunity. Yoga works on that area to relieve tension and improve blood flow to the entire body, stabilizing the hearth rate and blood pressure.

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Also during stressful situations, when you inhale and exhale, the diaphragm becomes too tense to alter its shape. Yogic exercices develop elasticity in the diaphragm, so that when stretched, it can handle any amount of stress (physical, intellectual, emotional).

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As the main muscle involved in the movement of the chest and abdominal cavities, the diaphragm serves as an anchor for the connective tissue that surrounds the thoracic and abdominal organs.

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These elements are the pleura, which surrounds the lungs; the pericardium, which surrounds the heart; the peritoneum, which surrounds the abdominal organs. It is therefore easy to understand the influence which the movement of the thoracic and abdominal cavities can have on that of the organs which they contain. The diaphragm is the primary source of organic movement, but the viscera are also a source of resistance and stabilization for the diaphragm. This reciprocal relationship explains why the coordination of movement and breathing taught by yoga can result in such a considerable improvement in health in general and the functioning of the various bodily systems in particular.

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Different combinations of asanas increase the range of movement, lubricates joints. Among the many ailments that benefit from the practice of asanas are: osteoarthritis, high and low blood pressure, diabetes, asthma, anorexia.

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Practicing yoga teaches the brain to be calm and soothe, to accept and subdue pain, not fight it. The energy that is otherwise dissipated in coping with stress and pain, is diverted to healing.

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Regular practice will bring you to look at yourself and your goals in a new light, to achieve emancipation and self realization, which is the ultimate goal of every person’s life.

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Yoga and age. Yoga is for everybody. With advancing age, physically vigorous exercices cannot be performed easily because of stiffening joints and muscles that have lost tone. The great advantage of yoga is that it can be practiced by anyone, irrespective of age, sex, physical condition. In fact, is particularly beneficial in middle age and after. Is a gift to older people when the recuperative power of the body is declining and resistance to illness is weakened. With yoga one can look forward to a satisfying, healthier future, rather than reflecting on one’s youthful past.

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Yoga and fitness. Yoga should not be seen as a sport. In yoga no competition, no winner or loser, but a personal discipline that opens us to the world, contributing to good physical and mental health, in harmony with oneself and one’s environment.

Doing any kind of exercice is good for our health. We are not trying to compare yoga with other types of practice, but rather evidence that it is a complete program, a complementary practice to any kind of sport for the younger and a perfect routine for those in advancing age.

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Fitness usually involves quick and forceful body movements. It has repeated actions that often lead to exertion, tension and fatigue. Yoga asanas, on the other hand, involve movements that bring stability to the body, the senses, the mind, the intellect, the consciousness.

 

Many forms of exercices require physical strength and endurance and can lead to a feeling of fatigue after 10/ 15 minutes. They improve energy levels by boosting nerve functions, but ultimately, this exhausts the cellular reserves and the endocrine glands. Cellular toxines increase and circulation is enhanced, it is at the cost of irritating the other body systems and increasing the pulse rate and blood pressure. Ultimately the hearth is taxed and overworked.

« If you are caught up in the storm of constant challenges and competition, you loose your ability to perceive reality clearly. »

B.K.S. Iyengar