Health is a complete State of
Mental, Physical, and Social well being,
not just a lack of disease.
-World Health Organization

That’s what I love about Yoga! It has physical practice for our bodies, breathing exercises to calm our nerves and minds, and moral philosophy practice that helps us get along with others in the world.

Physically the postures keep us able to move, to be comfortable in our own bodies. Tightness in the body is associated with aging, as we get older the body builds spider web like tissues around the joints restricting their movements. Yoga postures gently release this build up of tissues allowing us greater range of motion as we move throughout our day. The physical practice of Yoga offers the health benefits of a balanced exercise program, it strengthens as it stretches. In Yoga we do not lift weights, but we do lift our body weight! This gives us the benefits of weight training without the tightening. Yoga releases tension as it strengthens, keeping the body supple. The postures work externally first, preparing the musculo-skeletal system to be able to take the stretches a little deeper. As the external body regains flexibility we can take some of the poses internally. Internal work massages the organs in the abdominal area, keeping them healthy. In Yoga we use the term squeezing and soaking. The tissues and organs of the body are squeezed while in a yoga pose, removing stale blood and accumulated toxins, and soaked with fresh blood as we release the pose, the fresh blood brings with it oxygen and nutrients to heal and stay healthy.

Mentally yoga teaches us breathing techniques. Breath is the tool we use to calm our minds and our nervous systems. A yoga pose is actually a stress to the body (a good stress not a dis-stress), while we are under the stress of the pose we learn to find our breath, deepen our breath, and stay calm. This carries over to our everyday life. Once we learn to find our breath under a good stress, the mechanics are the same as finding your breath while in dis-stress. This will allow us the ability to recall the breath during stressful times and then react to the situation from a center of calm instead of chaos. The benefit of using your breath as the tool --you can take it with you wherever you go!

Socially Yoga has a philosophy that helps us deal with our thoughts and emotions, to. For example, the most popular text on Yoga, the Yoga Sutras, states in the first chapter there are four keys to peace and happiness:
    1. Friendship and fellowship towards those who are happy
    2. Great compassion and love toward those who are unhappy and suffering
    3. Joy and entertainment towards those who are successful and virtuous
    4. Neutrality and indifference toward those who are demeritoroius and evil natured

So general friendliness and caring in all our affairs, and if that is not possible then be neutral. Do not engage in word battles or hurtful words. The root word of sarcasm comes from the Greek word “sarcazo”, which means to tear flesh. Our thoughts, actions, and words can make a difference in the serenity of our lives.

People come to Yoga to restore their troubled bodies, hearts, or minds, or even just for the yoga butt. All these reasons are valid, whatever your motivation, yoga gives you tools you need for a complete state of health.

Written by Bobbi Misiti, owner of Be Fit Body & Mind YOGA 212 Third Street, New Cumberland. 770.2348 bfityoga.com
A Yoga studio in New Cumberland dedicated to movement of the body, in union with the breath, combined with internal awareness.
First class is free, please stop in and try one!

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