Did you know that over 15 million people have tried yoga in the past year? Maybe you are one of them. Or maybe you want to try yoga, but aren’t sure if it’s right for you.

A body-mind-soul practice once reserved for meditation elitists, yoga is currently available in 60-85% of local gyms in the United States. In fact, several gyms in Waco offer yoga classes to suit every fitness level.

As a yoga instructor, people often ask me if they can do yoga without any prior experience. YES! People of all fitness levels can engage in yoga by using modifications for each yoga posture (asana).

So how can yoga help you? Let’s take a look at the many physical benefits yoga offers its participants.

Migraines are a neurological condition affecting 30 million Americans. I am a migraine sufferer. I began practicing yoga six years ago under a doctor’s recommendation. My migraines became so severe that I was hospitalized twice in less than six months. A self-described gym rat, I taught seven high-impact aerobics classes each week and logged numerous hours running on the treadmill. My doctor told me the high-impact exercise was exacerbating my condition. He limited my exercise routine to brisk walking, Pilates, and yoga.

While surrendering my hard-core exercise was difficult, both physically and emotionally, I soon fell in love with yoga. I often arrived at class with a low-grade migraine and left feeling refreshed and headache-free. I now teach two to three yoga classes per week and encourage anyone suffering from migraines or tension headaches to make yoga a part of their health and wellness routine.

Second, yoga increases the range of motion in the hips, which prevents lower back pain. Yoga is also beneficial in treating scoliosis and sciatica. (Recommended pose: pigeon (eka pada rajakapotasana).)

If you suffer from Crohn’s Disease or Irritable Bowel Syndrome, you’ll want to know that yoga helps gastrointestinal functions normalize. Unlike other forms of exercise, yoga massages internal glands and organs, such as the colon and prostate. This wards off disease. Yogis also develop an awareness of their bodies so they immediately sense the first sign of infection or disease.

Yoga is also helpful in treating hormonal imbalances. Women experiencing hot flashes and/or menopause can benefit from yoga, as well as people dealing with depression, anxiety, and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). (Recommended pose to decrease hot flashes: bridge (setu bandha sarvangasana).)

Patients suffering from chronic pain ailments such as fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, and arthritis can also benefit from yoga.

In fact, Cathy Schneider, wife, mother of two, and devoted yogi has enjoyed improvements in her condition of fibromyalgia as a result of yoga.

“I have had chronic pain in my back for over two years,” Cathy says. “I have gone to physical therapy, taken several different medications, injections, etc. to try to help my pain. My doctor suggested, along with medication, that I should take yoga or Pilates classes to help strengthen my core and back. I began yoga classes and I instantly felt a difference! One, it helped relieve stress, which is a factor in fibromyalgia. It also helped me become more limber and strengthened my core and the muscles in my back.”

Cathy has now made yoga a part of her everyday life. “I try to do a little bit of yoga in the morning to get my day, and my back, off to a good start. My back pain has improved a lot and I notice that I hurt more when I do not do yoga consistently. It has taught me how to work and stretch each muscle group in my body.”

Yoga also helps those suffering from allergies, asthma, and chronic bronchitis because it improves the flow of sinuses, flushes out mucous from the lungs, and increases lung mobility. (Recommended poses: downward facing dog (adho mukha svanasana) and camel (ustrasana).)

For those who want to lose pounds quickly and detoxify their systems, a recent trend of cleansing diets has emerged. Before you spend hundreds of dollars on a cleansing diet, you might want to know that yoga is a natural detoxification agent. It ensures that the optimum blood supply is released to the body, which helps flush out toxins and provides proper nourishment. Eliminating toxins also helps decrease the aging process, and improves energy levels; it balances out metabolism and helps it function with optimum efficiency.

Cindy Potts, wife, mother, grandmother, and member of the Waco Family YMCA, has been taking yoga for a year. As a woman in her 50’s, Cindy understands the importance of exercise. Her age-defying workout routine includes a weekly spin class, walking, strength training and two yoga classes per week.

“Yoga has really helped me become more flexible and I realize that exercise doesn't have to be ‘jumping up & down’ to work. It's nice to see that I can bend as well as some of the 20 & 30-somethings in class. Being in my 50's, I worry about balance and yoga has been great for that. Also, the breathing is beneficial in other exercise areas.” (Recommended pose to reverse the aging process: wheel (urdhva dhanurasananame).)

Weight-bearing exercise, such as yoga, also strengthens bones and helps prevent osteoporosis. Since yoga uses the body’s own weight, it is a gentle, low-impact way to incorporate weights into your exercise routine. Additionally, yoga’s ability to lower levels of cortisol may help retain calcium in the bones.

Age also brings on the threat of Azheimer’s Disease. However, a new study indicates that yoga can help elevate brain gamma-aminobutyric (GABA) levels. Low GABA levels are associated with the onset of Alzheimer’s. Meditation, like that practiced in yoga, has also been shown to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s.

Another condition affecting our society is obesity. As obesity rates in our country increase, so does the rate of Type II diabetes. Yoga reduces glucose levels and stress, but it also encourages insulin production in the pancreas, all of which prevents Type II Diabetes.

If you don’t suffer from any of the conditions described above, yoga can still help you. This practice is known to prevent diseases such as heart disease, which is the number one killer of women in America. Yoga reduces stress, lowers blood pressure, keeps off excess weight, and improves cardiovascular health, all of which reduce the risk of heart disease.

Maybe you are in great physical condition and think yoga is too mild a workout for you. Whether you are a novice or a serious athlete, yoga is an excellent addition to your workout regimen because it produces a strong core, which helps heal and reduce injuries. Plus, as in running or biking, athletes contract muscles. Yoga provides the opposing action: stretching and lengthening. Yoga also improves hand-eye coordination, reaction time, energy level, endurance, strength, posture, immunity, balance, flexibility and joint range of motion.

Other physical improvements include an increase in cardiovascular efficiency and a decrease in pulse rate, respiratory rate, and blood pressure. Mental improvements include memory, depth perception, learning efficiency and concentration. In fact, studies show that only eight weeks of yoga improves one’s concentration and motivation. Yoga also decreases stress, anxiety, pain, and depression.

As with any form of exercise, you should consult your doctor before taking a yoga class. After only a few times, you will enjoy the numerous physical benefits and be on the road to total health and wellness.

Waco Today - April 2009