Yoga can be a wonderful tool for supporting you in your weight loss efforts. Many of the standing Yoga poses are very strengthening and vigorous. When you learn how to enter more deeply into the postures, in correct alignment, you will greatly increase the beneficial effects of the practice. Yogic standing postures increase balance, coordination, flexibility and strength.
Healing, Restorative, or Therapeutic Yoga does not have to be complex, physically taxing, or vigorous. Patients, who are new to Yoga, can begin by learning one or two poses to practice on a regular basis. Repeating a sequence each morning, or evening, can be a powerful routine to help the healing process, by building strength and agility.
Yoga practice was defined as practicing at least 30 minutes once a week for four or more years. Comparatively speaking, this is truly bare minimum, and many Yoga teachers used to say that this amount of Yoga will do nothing. How times change; Yoga has been keeping people fit for approximately 5,000 years, and its many health benefits are still a mystery worthy of more studies.
This daunting increase in the cancer rates means that many Yoga practitioners will be faced with a cancer diagnosis during their lifetime. In turn, many “cancer warriors” will turn to the strengthening, balancing and relaxing benefits of Yoga to augment their healing cancer strategy. Additionally, many teachers will have students in their classes who are currently fighting cancer, or who are cancer survivors. You may even be a cancer survivor yourself and know firsthand the profound benefits of a regular Yoga practice, during cancer treatment and recovery.
If a Yoga student is unable to stand or raise his or her arms overhead during the Sun Salutations, simply participating in the vinyasa through the breath will help to give your student a sense of inclusion in the class. Over time, the student may be able to stand and raise his or her arms overhead, and then flow into Standing Forward Fold.
Stress is also a bigger factor for menopausal women and they might have a harder time coping with stressful situations. The calming and grounding effect of yoga will be a welcome retreat from what is now a more stressful world.
There are a number of different yoga classes that will contribute to muscle strengthening and lengthening. Students are able to work the entire body in Ashtanga classes, and the combo classes of Yoga and Pilates, allow for heavy core workouts. There is no comparing these to high-intensity workouts, but this is not necessary to kick start the metabolism so that weight loss can continue even between workouts.
Chronic Pain sufferers deal with pain most of the time with no relief. With awareness, the gentle movements of Yoga can relieve some of that pain. Studies have shown that a Yoga practice can reduce the amount of pain in people who suffer from fibromyalgia, arthritis, chronic back pain and many other painful ailments.