Yoga for Relaxation
Yoga with SoSpa in Lindos May 2011
I love to end the day with my clients winding down with a relaxing Yoga workout.
After a long hard day on the beach!! It is so tranquil to find a perfect space overlooking the bay and move through some postures in the sunset.
In a studio environment and after a crazy day at work it is sometimes hard to get into a relaxed state during a yoga class. I love to create an association with a beautiful calm place so when clients return to their gym’s or studios they can take that headspace back with them to re-create during relaxation at home.
Yoga is one of the fastest growing forms of exercise in the U.S and it is expanding massively here the UK too.
I offer small group yoga sessions at my studio and work with four clients to one and this has great benefits of being able to guide my people through each pose and educate them with the health benefits of each move as Yoga is hugely therapeutic and certain postures cleanse and detox the body. It has become an essential part of my exercise routine to counterbalance the stiffness from running and weight training which I love.
The benefits of yoga are truly endless Here are just 3
The obvious one Flexibility
1 Improved flexibility is one of the first and most obvious benefits of Yoga.During your first class, you probably won’t be able to touch your toes, never mind do a backbend. But if you stick with it, you’ll notice a gradual loosening, and eventually, seemingly impossible poses will become possible.
Food for the Joints
2.Each time you practice Yoga, you take your joints through their full range of motion. This can help prevent degenerative arthritis or mitigate disability by “squeezing and soaking” areas of cartilage that normally aren’t used. Joint cartilage is like a sponge; it receives fresh nutrients only when its fluid is squeezed out and a new supply can be soaked up. Without proper sustenance, neglected areas of cartilage can eventually wear out, exposing the underlying bone like worn-out brake pads.
Bone Building
3.It’s well documented that weight-bearing exercise strengthens bones and helps ward off osteoporosis. Many postures in yoga require that you lift your own weight. And some, like Downward- and Upward-Facing Dog, help strengthen the arm bones, which are particularly vulnerable to osteoporotic fractures. Yoga’s ability to lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol may help keep calcium in the bones.
It really is worth putting on your workout list.