Why Practice Yoga? 

A few basic explanations.

Stretch, stretch, stretch and get deep into the fascia. Our physical body is composed of many different types of tissue one being connective tissue which is also segregated into different types. One type of connective tissue is deep fascia; this surrounds individual or groups of muscles. When we tense our body, initiating the fight-or-flight response by stimulating the sympathetic nervous system, we cause our deep fascia contract. If we continue to create contraction and don’t stretch, the composition of fascia becomes thick and rigid, loosing elasticity. The loss of elasticity moves our bodies to a less flexible state, inhibiting the range of motion in our joints. By holding stretches for a longer amount of time we get into the fascia allowing for release, creating an increased range of motion in the joints. However, it is important to keep joints engaged to be sure not to stress the joints during this process.

The endocrine system is a system of glands that extends along our midline responsible for the release of hormones. When yoga asanas (postures) are performed different glands are massaged and stimulated. This stimulation regulates the function of the gland and may release or inhibit the release of hormones to bring the physical body into balance. For example, bridge pose (image below) stimulates the thyroid gland, located at the back of the throat. The thyroid gland is responsible for regulating metabolism. It is not uncommon for people to have hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism where the thyroid is out of balance and cannot regulate the release of hormones. Massaging the thyroid gland is a therapeutic approach to bring balance back to the body.

As much as yoga is about strength and flexibility it is also about the control of breath. In traditional styles of yoga in India the physical aspects of yoga were only learned once one could control the mind and breath. When we practice a difficult posture our breathing rate tends to increase. The challenge of yoga is to keep our breath steady and long, even in difficult postures. In yoga, we inhale energy, prana, the live force. When we exhale we breath out apana, toxins, things that don’t serve our body. Each exhalation should be three times as long as our inhalation to allow for a full cleaning of the body, physically and energetically. In all postures we need to come to our breath and ask, am I inhaling and exhaling too quickly? Can the sensation of the belly expanding, the rib cage moving up and out be felt, is there an awareness of space and time? Breath is the nectar of life providing energy and healing qualities to the physical and energetic body.

There are an endless amount of benefits and reasons to yoga and many much more complex. Stay tuned for another post on "Why Practice Yoga." Feel free to leave questions or comments or ask about other benefits.


~Liz

Image from Asana Photo Gallery @ itsyouryoga.com

Observe, enough said.