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Yoga for Beginners

© Jennifer M. Witkowski

Indian mystics...burning incense and exotic music...human bodies twisted into pretzel shapes...

Are these the images that come to mind when you think about yoga? While many mystics have used yoga as a way of communing with the universe, and while many practitioners do use aromatherapy and music to heighten their yoga experience, you don't need to give up any spiritual faith you now have (or even subscribe to any faith!) or spend any money on candles or CD's to have yoga enrich your physical and mental wellness. And no, you don't have to become a contortionist either! Anyone, from young child to senior citizen, can reap the spiritual, mental, and physical benefits of yoga. The hard part is knowing how to get started.

What is Yoga, anyway?

There are many forms of yoga, and each offers its practitioners unique benefits. When many people begin their journey through yoga, they practice what is known as "hatha yoga" which is a gentle combination of asanas, or postures, taken from different styles of yoga practice, plus exercises in deep breathing and meditation. Hatha yoga offers a good introduction to yoga, and provides many physical, mental, and spiritual benefits:

Physical Benefits:

Yoga benefits the practitioner physically by increasing strength and flexibility. Some forms of yoga, such as Astranga yoga, greatly increase physical strength through a series of very demanding postures. Other forms benefit flexibility through a series of more gentle postures and stretches. Whatever your physical fitness goals, there is a style of yoga to benefit you. In fact, many world class atheletes incorporate yoga into their personal fitness routines. But you do not have to be an athelete to benefit. A recent popular hatha yoga course I taught contained a range of people from children to elderly adults, and those of both beginner and advanced fitness levels. The one thing they all had in common? They all enjoyed the gains in strength and flexibility yoga has to offer.

Mental Benefits:

In today's chaotic world, most people suffer from stress - sometimes severe stress! Yoga benefits its practitioners mentally by offering a safe haven, a place to relax their mind and take some time to focus only on on themselves and their goals. The deep breathing exercises counteract some of the physical signs of stress by decresing the heart rate and releasing muscle tension. This leads to greater clarity of thought, and an ability to focus on life's difficulties through a renewed and energized perspective.

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