Yoga

What is yoga?

Yoga is a rapidly growing practice aimed at reducing stress and enhancing physical and mental health. It consists of a combination of controlled breathing, meditation or relaxation, and physical poses and stretches. Although there is a perception that yoga requires a high degree of flexibility, there are many styles and intensities, making it a healthy option for almost everybody.

Yoga is safe for almost everybody to practice, and it provides many of the same benefits as more traditional forms of exercise, without the injury risks associated with high impact activities.

 

What are the benefits?

Yoga is a truly holistic practice in the sense that it can enhance all aspects of your wellbeing – physical, mental and spiritual. Under the guidance of the top quality yoga instructors at HHC Centre, you can derive many benefits, including the following:

• Alleviation of chronic physical conditions, such as hypertension (high blood pressure), heart disease and respiratory ailments
• Greater ability to cope with mental illnesses like depression, PTSD and anxiety
• Management of chronic pain resulting from injury or conditions like fibromyalgia
• Improved muscle tone, flexibility, strength and range of motion
• A better sense of balance and reduced risk of sports-related injury
• A stronger immune system, resulting in fewer illnesses
• Improved quality of sleep, and fewer digestive complaints

 

How does it work?

There are many different styles of yoga that vary in intensity and focus. For example, Hatha yoga is a good choice for beginners, while hot yoga is popular among people with more experience practicing yoga, who want to incorporate elements of endurance in their sessions.

Regardless of style, yoga has the following basic components:

• Controlled breathing makes it easier for you to control the movements of your body and get settled into a calm state of mind
• Ranging from simple poses done on the floor to difficult movements designed to stretch your limits, the purpose of the poses is to improve strength an flexibility
• Meditation/relaxation. This element helps you focus your attention on the present and let go of life’s difficulties, so that you can do the breathing and poses without worrying.