Fast 5 - Yoga helps reduce stress and anxiety
Few would argue: Yoga is good for you. We asked
Vickie Aldridge from the Boise Yoga Center to
give us five reasons why.
Aldridge knows her subject. She's a certified
Iyengar yoga teacher and a registered yoga teacher
(500 hours) with the International Association
of Yoga Therapists. Here's what she said:
1. Stress Relief: Yoga reduces stress through
relaxation by lowering the levels of the stress
hormone, cortisol.
A regular yoga practice can lower blood pressure,
improve digestion and boost the immune system.
Students tell me they're nicer to their loved
ones because of their yoga practice.
I had some students from India recently in
classes. I asked them if they did yoga in India
and they said, "definitely not." I
asked them why they were taking class now. They
said they'd heard yoga was good for stress.
Go figure. Come to America to practice yoga!
2. Depression, anxiety, fatigue, asthma and
insomnia: A student's commitment to practice
yoga relieves all of them. The benefits of a
single class stay with the student for many
days. When I ask new students what they do when
they feel the effects of the practice wearing
off, I get two answers, either, "Then I
practice again," "Then I really look
forward to the next class."
3. Better body alignment with increased body
awareness and acceptance of self: We who practice
learn to feel better in our own skin and do
less comparing or judging of others. Iyengar
yoga teaches us to have better posture, so we
find relief of back, neck, joint and muscle
problems.
4. Yoga teaches the balance between strength
and flexibility: A yoga muscle is long, lean
and strong. It will help us do anything we want
to do better, without the bulk of a weight lifting
muscle.
5. Pure joy: Yoga is fun and rewarding as we
grow and improve. We feel better about ourselves
and the world around us. As I say, yoga challenges
us, nurtures us and transforms us.
