YOGA: to unite, breath, body, mind, soul, strength, flexibility, unity, clarity, awareness, love.

"Your body is precious. It is your vehicle for awakening. Treat it with care… to keep the body in good health is a duty… otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind clear and strong.”
- Buddha

Pranayama: Breath that we inhale which brings oxygen and life force to every cell in our bodies.

Asanas: These are postures which combine breathing with movement. The asanas invite greater flexibility, stimulate pituitary, pineal, and thyroid glands, strengthens muscles, massages internal organs, hydrates the spinal discs and ligaments, aids digestion and elimination, helps the body maintain balance, increases circulation, and encourages the blood and body energy to bathe the related muscles and organs with vitality and life.

Savasana: Final Relaxation. Usually done at the end of a yoga class. This is a simple and effective deep relaxation technique. It promotes increased circulation, spinal alignment, better posture, and overall balance. It quiets the mind, reduces fatigue, and rejuvenates the body and mind.

The health and fitness benefits of yoga have long been reported by practitioners and are now being confirmed by scientific research.

1. STRESS RELIEF: Yoga reduces the physical effects of stress on the body. By encouraging relaxation, yoga helps to lower the levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Related benefits include lowering blood pressure and heart rate, improving digestion and boosting the immune system as well as easing symptoms of conditions such as anxiety, depression, fatigue, asthma and insomnia.

2. PAIN RELIEF: Yoga can ease pain. Studies have demonstrated that practicing yoga asanas (postures), meditation or a combination of the two, reduced pain for people.

3. BETTER BREATHING: Yoga teaches people to take slower, deeper breaths. This helps to improve lung function, trigger the body’s relaxation response and increase the amount of oxygen available to the body.

4. FLEXIBILITY: Yoga helps to improve flexibility and mobility, increasing range of movement and reducing aches and pains.

5. INCREASED STRENGTH: Yoga asanas (postures) use every muscle in the body, helping to increase strength literally from head to toe.

6. WEIGHT MANAGEMENT: Yoga can aid weight control efforts by reducing the cortisol levels as well as by burning excess calories and reducing stress. Yoga also encourages healthy eating habits.

7. IMPROVED CIRCULATION: Yoga helps to improve circulation and, as a result of various poses, more efficiently moves oxygenated blood to the body’s cells.

8. CARDIOVASCULAR CONDITIONING: Even gentle yoga practice can provide cardio vascular benefits by lowering resting heart rate, increasing endurance and improving oxygen uptake during exercise.

9. FOCUS ON THE PRESENT: Yoga helps us to focus on the present, to become more aware and to help create mind body health.

10. INNER PEACE: The meditative aspects of yoga help many to reach a deeper, more spiritual and more satisfying place in their lives.

Give yoga a try and discover what it can do for your body, your mind, and your soul. We would love to hear how yoga has made a difference in your life.

Meditation Workshops on May 5, 2012: Meditation Workshop 101.

Yoga for the Core - Upcoming 2012 : Yoga for the Core.

Destress through Yoga/Meditation @ University of Illinois at Chicago -Upcoming: June 14

Come and check out my yoga showcase and collection from India at the Neelam Yoga Studio in Naperville, IL.

Hands on Introduction to Indian Cooking workshop coming soon.

Join me for future workshops. Click here to learn more... or call me @630-886-6368 for more information.

Follow me on my blog at www.neelamyoga.blogspot.com