Health – Vitality – Body Image – Flexibility – Strength – Endurance – Cardiovascular – Mindfulness
These are the benefits of yoga – some are very obvious and some are very subtle. The benefits themselves, and the timing of them, vary from person to person.
Within the first six weeks of starting, most people will have noticed some physical benefits, and the changes to their mental well-being soon after that. This can be a greater sense of peace and happiness as well as feeling fitter, stronger and more flexible and energetic. And once they have committed to yoga practice, people find themselves growing in awareness and self-confidence.
In the West we are brought up to respect science, and it is amazing that scientists are only now discovering many things that yogis knew 2,000 years ago! Research is now showing that our minds are powerful and create our reality; the yogis knew this, and thus the practice of yoga – the harnessing of the mind – was created. They understood that the mind and the body are synergetic, in that each affects the other, and thus when working with one, you are intrinsically working with the other, so any practice must involve both.
So, when we harness our minds, we also achieve states of peace and insightfulness. It is an awe-inspiring fact that each one of us has the same capacity to reach those heightened states of awareness – those places where ultimate well-being are found. Yoga shows us how to do that. The depth and breadth of yoga is truly awesome.
However, we don’t have to be over-awed. We can choose a spot and start from there. Most often, the place to start is getting in touch with your body and allowing your mind to rest – welcome to Yoga Alive.