Much more to yoga

Many people think they know all the benefits to yoga. However, there is more to yoga than balancing and stretching.

When yoga is first brought up, people’s minds go to stretching, increasing their balance, doing a dog pose, or pretending to be a tree. Although all of those things are true, there is more to yoga than most people choose to realize. It is clear to me that people have placed yoga into the “boring” category and stated that it is not exercise at all.

If you are not a certified yoga teacher or have no knowledge at all about yoga, you should not be so quick to label it boring or just plain stretching. Like most things, there is more to it than most people see.

According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, yoga does many things for the human body and brain. In one of its recent articles, “Yoga: In Depth,” it points out that yoga can help back pain, help manage symptoms in chronic diseases, help diabetics control its blood sugar, help with physical and psychological symptoms of menopause, may help to manage sleep problems, and can even be helpful to those who are trying to quit smoking.

While yoga has many beneficial things that stem from it, it’s not the answer to everyone’s problems. I know that yoga might not be for everyone, but it has done many wonders for me. It has left me feeling more at ease and I feel as though it reduces my stress. It has helped me gain correct posture and has guided me into a healthier lifestyle. While there are other forms of exercise that can do many wonders for your mind and body, yoga has been the most helpful for me.

SARA TWAY

Bella Vista