Why Yoga?
Physical activity results in numerous great health benefits, including improvement of quality of life. It also enhances the body's physical ability to resist, delay and at times even eliminate the onset of several debilitating diseases.
Yoga is a superb health-enhancing exercise.
Yoga utilizes a combination of:
- breathing (expanding the lung's capacity to handle an increased amount of oxygen intake) to rejuvenate, repair and create new cells;
- meditation (calming the mind, releasing stress and anxiety);
- physical posturing (asanas), designed to strengthen the musculo-skeletal structure, to increase bone density by doing weight-bearing exercises (to prevent osteoporosis); lubricate joints (reducing arthritis);
- alignment (or re-alignment) balances of the body's skeletal structure;
- stimulation of the endocrine system which promotes the increase of beneficial hormonal activities.
Strength and Balance
No other physical exercise can be tailored to the such widely-varied physical capabilities - or limitations -of class attendees as does yoga. It's non-threatening, has no side effects and can be considered preventive care, and in some cases: cure as well.
The age group that needs the most health support (55 plus) is either unfamiliar with yoga's health benefits, or is preconditioned to seek only medical solutions offered by traditional medical treatment modalities: such as drugs and surgery. Or in most cases: they simply can't afford even the modest cost.
Yoga, taught by professionals who are skilled in teaching seniors, could greatly reduce the rapidly rising costs of senior medical care, the costs of institutionalization, the use of prescription medicine, as well as other health related medical services.