Yoga and Meditation

The physical and mental disciplines of yoga have been practiced for centuries. Some histories even date the start of yoga practices as far back as 5,000 years. What’s known today is that yoga hot yoga benefit the body in many ways.

There are many forms of yoga, the general term for this physical and mental discipline. The most common form is hatha yoga, which refers to the physical postures that people practice for flexibility, muscle strength, better breathing and mental calm. These postures are called “asanas” as a group, and each specific pose has a name of its own that describes its movement or the form it represents.

What’s more, intense concentration on performing the physical postures of yoga also serves to calm and clarify the mind. Certain poses focus specifically on the central nervous system and include forms of meditation involving breathing and disengaging from troubling thoughts. By releasing physical tension through yoga postures, practitioners discover that their minds also become less stressed.

In recent years, the many physical benefits of yoga have been well documented. These include flexibility, strength, muscle tone, pain reduction or prevention, and improved breathing. The mental benefits of yoga include stress reduction, inner calm, and body awareness.

For instance, consider how Hot yoga improves flexibility. Yoga poses stretch a body in new ways that bring better range of motion to joints and muscles. This especially improves the flexibility in hips, shoulders, back and the crucial hamstring tendons along the back of the legs.

It’s important to distinguish between generic hot yoga and a form called “Bikram Yoga.” Not all hot yoga is Bikram Yoga; in fact, Bikram Yoga is very tightly regulated by its founder, yoga master Bikram Choudhury. He created the 26 poses that are performed during this type of yoga, which is taught only by certified instructors who have studied at Choudhury’s Yoga College of India located in Beverly Hills, CA. Anyone who wishes to study Bikram Yoga specifically should research potential schools and instructors thoroughly to be sure they are properly certified in this specific form.

Intense exercise right before bedtime isn’t recommended, but a few gentle yoga stretches can release stress and help promote sleep. Among the poses recommended in the evening, both of which can be done lying in bed, are:

People who spend a lot of time working on computers or driving vehicles can suffer from back pain. Practicing yoga often relieves this kind of discomfort, which results from spinal compression and muscle tightness from remaining too long in one position. The different postures involved also improve body alignment, another key factor in relieving and preventing other kinds of muscle and joint pain.

Those who have such chronic illnesses or physical problems still can engage in less challenging forms of yoga. In fact, many people who suffer chronic pain often are encouraged to practice yoga regularly because it has been shown to be quite effective in pain management. The postures practiced in Hatha Yoga, for instance, serve to loosen and strengthen cramped muscles, ligaments and tendons and increase flexibility. Both these yoga benefits reduce physical pain.

All of these exercises that benefit the body also serve to clear and focus the mind. By concentrating on yoga’s physical poses, practitioners relieve their physical stress, which in turn releases the stress-related body chemicals that can cloud the mind as well. The body awareness that results from regular yoga practice serves to strengthen the mind, producing a calm demeanor that helps practitioners endure life’s ups and downs better.

A leader in the Fitness industry, Extreme Fitness strives to offer its members motivating Toronto personal trainers. Check out our Hot yoga Toronto today and find out what one of the premiere fitness clubs in Toronto is all about.