Give Yoga a Try
Posted by Kathy Hester on Fit Fare
When I’m stressed, feeling sore, or just realizing I need to start exercising again, I turn to yoga. It’s a great stress reducer, and when you finish with a session you feel like you had a massage. Ok, maybe that’s after you’ve been doing it for a month or so. But even after the first time you will be more aware of your body and stretching out your back always feels good.
If you haven’t tried yoga before you may think you have to be flexible to do it. That’s like thinking to go to a cooking class you have to own a restaurant! We all start slowly, right from what you can do right now. Each body type will find some poses easy and others more challenging. You’ll be rewarded with better posture and an inner sense of calm. Who doesn’t want that?
If you have back problems or just want to start slowly, there are wonderful gentle yoga classes geared for you, and gentle yoga dvds you can use right in your own home. You are never too old for yoga, you may need some help modifying poses though - and there are classes and dvds geared just for seniors.
Another issue that came up during my practice was my wrists. I don’t have carpel tunnel exactly, but I do have many of the symptoms. Gripitz Exercise Blocks were the answer for me. They allow me to do all the poses that I couldn’t do before due to the stress on my wrists. Downward dogs are my friend again!
All you need to start is a non-slip surface. A yoga mat is great for this, but if you already have an exercise mat that should work fine. You will be on the floor some, so you may want to put it on a carpeted area. You can use a beach towel or bath sheet instead of a yoga strap. You can always buy a set that has a mat, strap and blocks when you’ve decided you want to commit to your practice.
There are classes everywhere these days from churches and community centers to yoga studios. If you’re on the shy side, you can try a dvd at home. If you get FitTV where you are there is a show called Namaste Yoga that you can do for free. There is also an advanced class called Inhale on the Oxygen channel, and it’s very tough.
Another free alternative is YogaToday.com. They have a new video online everyday . You don’t have to sign up to watch them, and they have some geared towards beginners.
You can also go to Yoga Journal’s website and look at their Beginners Q & A to get even more information.
Take some time this week to focus on yourself. You deserve it!
