Yoga For Life

If you don’t know asana from namaste, then you’ve come to the right place. This Yoga for Beginners Guide will help you learn the mental and physical benefits of this safe and effective workout.

What is yoga?

Let’s start by talking about what yoga is not. It is not just for bearded gurus or perky, Gumby-like girls with names like Serenity. It is not just for those with the supernatural flexibility of a Cirque de Soleil performer.

So what is yoga? For beginners, the simplest explanation is that it’s a practice that blends physical postures, breathing exercises, and meditation. And even though many yoga techniques were created thousands of years ago, they offer practical solutions for those of us living in a Twitter-dominated culture.

Why should I practice yoga?

Anyone who has seen photos of yoga devotees Madonna or Jenny McCarthy likely knows this ancient Eastern practice can help improve flexibility and tone muscles into movie-star shape.

But, in the words of your favorite infomercial, “that’s not all.” For many, yoga’s most important benefit may be its ability to relieve stress and provide relaxation. When you feel stress, your body is flooded with cortisol, also known as the “stress” hormone. The job of cortisol is to get your body ready for “flight or fight” by raising blood pressure, increasing the heart rate, and tensing muscles.

Research shows that deep breathing, like the kind you’ll learn in yoga, can lower these havoc-causing stress hormones and increase feelings of relaxation.

What should I look for in a yoga program?

No Yoga for Beginners Guide would be complete without a brief tour of the most popular styles. If you’re looking for a great workout that can give you a beach-ready body, try power yoga. Adapted from more ancient styles, this Americanized variety focuses on building strength, fitness, and flexibility.

Bikram, or Hot Yoga, is also a more physically intense style. Why is it called “Hot?” Practitioners typically train in rooms heated to about 100 degrees Fahrenheit in order to keep muscles warm and supple while helping the body to sweat out toxins.

For those looking for a kinder, gentler style, try Kripalu yoga. This form uses an all-around approach that focuses on both physical benefits, like increased flexibility, as well as proper breathing and relaxation techniques. Another type of yoga is often simply labeled gentle or restorative yoga. A Wake Forest University School of Medicine study found that this yoga style, which can be adapted for those with fatigue or physical limitations, improved the quality of life and emotional well-being of women living with breast cancer.

Whether you choose a power style or a style that’s more meditative, look for a beginners class that can provide a slower pace and perhaps one-on-one attention. As with any exercise program, you may need to seek advice from a health care professional if you have an illness or condition.

Once you start a yoga program, remember to take it easy at first and try not to become discouraged. Your instructor didn’t learn to tangle his or her limbs into that pretzel-like state overnight. But, with regular practice, you’ll be surprised at how quickly you—and others—start to notice your results.

So, whether you’re sixteen or sixty, physically fit or physically challenged, yoga can give you a path to looking and feeling better.