The Universal Appeal of Yoga

Yoga has been practiced for 400 years and is a system of exercises which are very easy and effective at increasing a person’s overall health and well-being.  Yoga instructors and students alike will often talk about phrases like "being in harmony with oneself and surroundings" and indeed this is a primary goal of Yoga, to achieve a unity of body, mind and spirit in oneness with the world around us.  Yoga combines meditation and breathing techniques that will grant you the ability to turn your concentration inward to examine your feelings and thoughts.

​There are a number of different aspects in Yoga, but one of the most appealing is that this is a set of exercises that anyone can enjoy and benefit from.  It does not require any expensive equipment or a special setting, it can be practiced by anyone, man or women, rich or poor, young or old, healthy or ill.  Perhaps its greatest appeal has always been that it is a set of beneficial exercises that anyone can do at any time and in any place.  Yoga is even a safe form of exercise for pregnant women and prenatal Yoga classes are often recommended to expectant mothers.  A specially tailored prenatal yoga class will help prepare a women, physically and mentally to become a mother.  It gives her a number of useful tools for coping with labor and the strengthening of the body means that the recovery period after giving birth will be much shorter.

There is a preconception however, that many men believe Yoga is a female pastime, but this couldn't be further from the truth.  Yoga provides numerous benefits to men:  decreasing stress, assisting in relaxation and increasing power, stamina and flexibility across the board. Senior citizens can get a number of benefits from a yoga course and are often the first to praise the mental advantages such as an increased attention span and a better memory both long and short term. Even young children will benefit from a Yoga regime by stronger bones, increased circulation and a better disposition resulting from breathing exercises and the relaxation of the exercise.

Regardless of the person Yoga has a number of lasting benefits and will aid in a wide variety of different health issues.  Regular practitioners of yoga will live an overall enhanced lifestyle, are more likely to have a strong memory and better stamina combined with a stronger sense of balance. 

It's no wonder when you consider all the different benefits of Yoga how very popular it is, and the fact that it is a regime of exercise that is open to everyone is one more big advantage of it.  It means that families can stay fit and healthy together and include everyone from the youngest child through to the oldest family members.  The exercises can be performed at varying levels of difficulty and intensity, which means that two people at completely different levels of strength and flexibility can go through the same motions and both benefit.