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Yoga

Yoga has its origins in the ancient history of India and is more than 3000 years old. It is practiced by people of different religious beliefs. Yoga promotes individual health and well-being through physical and mental exercise. The practice of yoga will make your body physically supple and strong. In yoga there is a saying: "You're as young as your spine." Although many people practice yoga for physical fitness, it is about more than merely stretching the body. By working mindfully on the body using techniques including meditation and breathing, yoga helps to focus the mind.

During the past 80 years, health professionals in India and the West have begun to investigate the therapeutic potential of yoga. Numerous research studies have been undertaken and have shown show that with the practice of yoga a person can indeed, learn to control such physiologic parameters as blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory function, metabolic rate, skin resistance, brain waves, body temperature, and many other bodily functions.

In yoga classes much of the time is spent doing physical exercise with care given to meticulous alignment of the body in the various asanas (postures). Click on the link for "Sequence of Asanas" to see what they look like.

The techniques for stretching, strengthening and relaxing the body can be safely practiced by people of all ages. However, traditional postures may have to be adapted for older, stiffer bodies. Suza Francina, an Iyengar yoga instructor and director of the Ojai Yoga Center specializes in classes for people over 50. Her book The New Yoga for People over 50 shows how to adapt traditional postures to suit any age or fitness level with step-by-step instructions aimed at the older beginner. She recommends using props to provide support and allow the older yoga student to get into and hold a strenuous posture longer without pain or fatigue.