Before we start, it’s important to note that Yoga, though a low-impact exercise known for its healing potential, is not an advisable exercise for everyone – so just to be safe, be sure to consult with your doctor before beginning your new regimen.
What is Yoga? How can it benefit your health?
Rooted in Sanskrit, the term Yoga means to merge or join. Its exercises, practiced to harmonize a person’s body and mind, emphasize controlled breathing, meditation, and steady body poses, also known as asanas. In addition to balancing body and mind, Yoga offers a number of other potential health benefits. Based on recent studies, practicing yoga can help in the following ways:
- General Fitness. Learning and perfecting different poses can help you to improve flexibility and strength, making you less prone to injury during other physical activities, such as running.
- Posture. Yoga is known to strengthen your core and increase body awareness, leading to better posture.
- Cardiovascular Health. Yoga has been found to lower blood pressure and heart rate, which can reduce your risk for a heart attack. Research also shows that it lowers cholesterol and improves circulation for people with heart disease. And lastly, a University of Kansas study found practicing Yoga to cut episodes of atrial fibrillation in half. While the lead researcher says Yoga should be considered as alternative treatment, be sure to consult your doctor before using it as such.
- Chronic Conditions. Per WebMD, Yoga can help to alleviate the symptoms of asthma and arthritis, amongst other chronic conditions. And according to Dr. Karen Mustain of the University of Rochester, it can help to improve the quality of life for cancer survivors.
- Mental Health. As we mentioned in the definition above, Yoga is a holistic exercise, helping to improve not only physical, but mental health as well. Specific poses can be used to help you overcome insomnia, helping you to feel refreshed and sharp, while others can help to alleviate anxiety or depression. Because practicing Yoga requires calmness and a relaxed mind while focusing on inner peace, it makes for a terrific mental health exercise. In fact, one California prison has implemented a program in hopes of helping inmates cope with anger and violence issues.
- Curious as to what else Yoga can do for you? Here are 77 Surprising Health Benefits of Yoga.
Getting Started
Now that you have an idea of what Yoga can do for you, the next step is to decide which poses to try. There are hundreds of types of poses of varying degrees of difficulty, each offering a different set of health benefits. Deciding which poses to try is something to discuss with your doctor – determining what you want to get out of the exercise will optimize your experience, and you’ll also want to make sure that you don’t attempt a pose that you’re not yet able to handle, since that could lead to injury.
Before signing up for class, check to see if your employer offers free classes or subsidizes a fitness center membership as a part of its wellness initiatives. If you need help figuring out your benefits, talk to an advocacy service such as Health Advocate or Health Proponent. If your employer does not offer classes, you can check your local gym (free classes are commonly offered with memberships) or use a worldwide class directory such as YogaFinder.
According to CostHelper.com, the average cost of a single Yoga class is about $12, which often decreases when you sign up for multiple sessions. You can also save money by signing up for a service like Groupon, a free deal-of-the-day website that offers a variety of deals all over the country. For instance, this coupon will get you 10 classes at Usha Veda Yoga in Brooklyn, a $130 value, for just $39! While there are great deals to be found, the most cost effective way to practice Yoga may be to buy an instructional DVD ($5-$20, depending on contents), and just do it at home. If you’re a beginner, enlist an experienced friend or family member to participate with you – it’s a good safety precaution to take, and it’ll be nice to have someone to refer to if you have any questions.
As far as supplies go, all you’ll need for your first class is breathable clothing and a yoga mat (more advanced poses may require a medicine ball or blocks). While the studio should supply most of the equipment, it’s a good idea to purchase your own mat since you never know how often public mats are cleaned/replaced. You can get them at your local sporting goods store or Five Below, where they’re just $5.
With that, here are three simple poses to get you started. Enjoy!
TREE POSE
CAT COW
SEATED FORWARD FOLD
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