The previous Great NEWS post explained Tapping on Acupressure Points…TAP and today we say Yes to Yoga. The original post on Maintaining Alignment, Muscles and Posture expanded into a ten part series with additional content to help educate and empower more people. Maintaining Alignment, Muscles and Posture is essential for your long term happiness, health and harmony so this week we discuss the many benefits of saying Yes to Yoga.

The top ten tips for maintaining a peak performance physiology and psychology for life was the tip of the iceberg to help you transform your life. It offered simple suggestions and short summaries for Maintaining Alignment, Muscles and Posture to prevent physical problems from becoming debilitating disease. A few sentences are often not enough to influence, inform, and inspire you to shift old habits to new habits and take massive action so this post is offering a more detailed explanation of one simple strategy that will help improve the quality of your life in the future by implementing new strategies now.

Yoga and Man

There are many benefits to yoga.

Many people share with me stories of persistent problems and physical pains that refuse to go away. These often result from a number of collective causes or individual issues. Even if you have not experienced this yet, applying these suggestions will help prevent and protect you from these issues occurring. Remember… “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”.

Categories, combinations and compounding of common contributors such as: bad posture, car accidents, chair design, child birth delivery issues, computer monitor placement, couches, ergonomics, falls, high heels, imbalanced muscle development, improperly fitting shoes, injuries, low quality shoe inserts and support, mattress/ sleep problems, military service injuries, overdeveloped muscles, pillows, poor alignment, posture, sports injuries, stress, tight muscles and tendons, underdeveloped muscles, unnatural gait running or walking and many more can be debilitating. Terrible trauma or even tiny things can directly and indirectly cause annoying pains and problems to persist.

Yes to Yoga and Youth

In Maintaining Alignment, Muscles and Posture Tip 9 we suggested saying Yes to Yoga. Doing yoga  is a great way to help maintain your ability, agility, beauty, creativity, flexibility, mobility,  stability and symmetry. Yoga also offers great benefits for alignment, balance, breathing, muscles, posture, resiliency, stamina, strength, tone and so much more.

Many people look at yoga from different points of view and feel or see it as some form of: Ancient Ayurveda, Buddhist belief, contortionist class, eastern practice, exercise, flexibility contest, Hindu health ritual, meditation, body mind spirit thing, mindfulness, new age thinking, pretzel pose, rehabilitation, relaxation, spiritual practice, Swami stretches, Taoist technique or Zen ritual. Yes it is all of these and so much more. Depending on the evolution, origination and philosophy of the yoga practice there are many varieties to choose from.

Group Yoga

Some people like to learn yoga in a group environment so they can connect with other students and receive personal instruction.

Some common styles of yoga include: Bhakti, Bikram, Dahn, Hatha, Iyengar, Jnana, Karma, Kundalini, Raja and Zen. Of course there are many other varieties that have evolved and morphed which are also practiced. All forms of yoga have in common the desire to promote and share the basics of balancing, breathing, connecting, positioning, relaxing, stretching and toning. Some forms of yoga emphasize slow methodical movements, some more rapid reflexes and others power, speed or warmth depending on the structure and style.

Some  of the greatest benefits of yoga are  the calming, centering and connecting of the body, mind and spirit. This emotional, mental, physical and spiritual focus helps with re-balancing  re-energizing and restoring our sense of calm and peacefulness. This has immense benefits for your long term happiness, healing, health and harmony.

Some people like to learn yoga in a group environment so they can connect with other students and receive personal instruction. Once they have a good basis and foundation they are comfortable practicing on their own. Others like to follow a DVD or online video training in the privacy of their own home to learn at their own pace. While others feel they need and want the group experience as the ultimate enjoyment of coaching, connection and consciousness environment.

Imagine for a moment what it will feel, look and sound like being part of a yoga class where you discover simple strategies for rejuvenation, relaxation and restoration at the deepest levels. Who knows how much more energized and excited your body, mind and spirit will feel after just a few months  of breathing, moving and positioning your body in new and unique ways. What will your return on investment be like when you are able to turn back the clock on aging, beauty, health and mental abilities with just a small investment of time each day?

yoga-pose-red-pants

Be sure to practice different yoga poses for maximum benefit.

Regardless of what method will work best for you the key first step is to decide to put your self in an emotional, mental and physical state of being open and receptive to the possibilities and probabilities of success. If all you do is learn some simple warm up yoga poses and the Sun Salutation routine and practice this on a regular basis you can experience amazing results. Yoga is great for people of all ages and can even be enjoy  as  chair yoga or wheel chair yoga. There is no valid excuse for not giving it a try for 3 or 5 months and experiencing the benefits for your self. What have you got to loose and how might you benefit now?

Be sure to learn about and practice positions that require your head to be lower than other parts of your body. Lying on the floor with your feet raised or the mountain pose (on your hands and feet with your buttocks up in the air) are easy and fast ways to provide  the brain an increased flow of energy, nutrients and oxygen.

This Great NEWS post focused on saying Yes to Yoga for emotional, mental and physical peak performance. As part of the ongoing series on Maintaining Alignment, Muscles and Posture you now have even more resources to add to your rituals and routines for health. My outcome is to educate, empower and energize you to apply the top ten tips for Maintaining Alignment, Muscles and Posture to help you to be healthier by saying Yes to Yoga.

What is your current Gap?

How is your flexibility? What areas of your body are sending signals to your dashboard instruments indicating the need for attention and maintenance for Maintaining Alignment, Muscles and Posture?

Mastery Action Plan (MAP)

Yoga is easy to do and learn. You have many choices for learning to include books, classes, DVD and even YouTube. Pick one and begin practicing gentle yoga each day.

Call to Action

What comments, commitments or questions do you have regarding your alignment, muscles or posture and the benefits of doing yoga?

Next week the Great NEWS blog will share:

Energizing Exercises & Fascinating Fitness Menu