Fit to Print Volume 24 Issue 1 March 2015 | Page 19

Mind Body Spirit

by Karen Britton

Uncomplicated
6 Great Benefits From Practicing Yoga

O

ne way to avoid health
complications, as well as maintain
a positive attitude, relieve stress
and age gracefully…….is to practice Yoga.
It's never too late to start, even if you
are over 50. You do not need to be
flexible to start yoga. This is one of the
biggest myths and fears people have
about yoga. Yoga will make you flexible.
There are so many benefits to starting a
yoga practice, especially as we get older.
Bone density is something we start to
lose around the age of 35, and this can
lead to Osteopenia (reduction in bone
volume) then possibility to Osteoporosis
(decrease in bone mass). Bone cells
known as osteoblasts build bone and are
responsible for maintaining proper bone
density. Osteoclasts absorb bone. As we
get older, this balance gets disturbed.
Having thin, weak bones is considered an
inevitable part of aging. Research has
shown that an excellent solution for
weak bones is weight-bearing exercise.
Yoga is a safe and effective way to build
bone density because it's weight bearing
by putting weight on the bones in a
precise, deliberate way. A recent pilot
study that applied yoga practice to
sufferers of osteoporosis and osteopenia
showed that 85% of the yoga
practitioners gained bone in both the
spine and the hip, while nearly every
member of the control group either
maintained or lost bone mass. (Fishman,
“Yoga for Osteoporosis”).
Benefit 2: MOVEMENT WITHOUT
STRAIN. Exercise is a crucial part of
aging. Regular exercise reduces the risk
of death by a third and cuts the risk of
chronic disease by 40%. As we get older
we need to change our workout routine.
Yoga can be an excellent low-impact
exercise that's easy on the body. When

used in conjunction with other forms
of exercise like cycling, walking,
lightweight training, dancing etc., you
will have balance in body and mind.
Yoga is very complementary to other
forms of exercise. As it improves
concentration, flexibility and reduces
soreness, it also encourages quicker
recovery while allowing the body to
remain open in the chest, thus
improving breathing. The back is also
made stronger, giving you more range
of motion and reducing the risk of
injury.

It is often said that in Yoga,
“The body is as young as the
spine is flexible.”
Benefit 3: Building and increasing
flexibility: A flexible body is a useful
body because we can do more with it,
moving bones freely and without pain.
We want to reach into cabinets and
grab things off the top shelves and be
able to bend over and tie our shoes.
Yoga looks at body movement in a
logical, patterned way. Movements
are slow, gentle, and supported with
careful attention placed on the
position of the bones relative to the
muscles. Alignment cues are given
often in classes as to where to place
your feet, ankles, hips, hands, etc.
This is very important to align the
body in a precise way, not only to
protect the body but to get the most
out of each posture and allow breath
to flow easier. Yoga exercises parts of
the body that may not be exercised in
other programs. One example is spinal
flexibility. It is often said that in Yoga,
“The body is as young as the spine is
flexible.” Yoga keeps the spine pliable
and keeps the circulation up the spinal
cord.
Benefit 4: Strengthens and keeps the
spine strong. Correct posture not only
makes you look younger, but it keeps
you healthier. Yoga teaches us to align
the spine correctly in several poses.
Spring 2015 FIT to Print

The practice also teaches awareness of
our posture and how to bring this
awareness off the mat and into our daily
lives. We also learn how to sit and stand
correctly and how to take breath and
posture breaks throughout the day. Being
on the computer a lot may change the
shape of the spine and create tightness
in the chest area. Examples are
shoulders rounding forward and a
hunched back. Certain approaches to
exercise can even exacerbate rather
than correct this problem. When we let
the body slump, we change the spine's
shape and restrict body systems like
digestion, causing us to look and feel
unhealthy. Bad posture limits and
crowds the space necessary for lungs,
stomach, intestines, and even the heart
to function. We need oxygen to feed our
cells, and we need