THE BENEFITS OF YOGA CLASSES
Are you interested in taking a yoga class?
La Bodega is now offering yoga classes in the Prior Lake area!
Our certified instructor, Andrea Kennedy has been practicing yoga for over 18 years and teaching for 13.
Our classes are taught in the Hatha style, which places special emphasis on controlled breathing and posture. Building core strength, mindfulness, and relaxation are the goals of this type of yoga. Perfect for beginners, Hatha yoga is comprised of gentle, slow but intentional movements designed to strengthen the body, mind, and spirit. Special emphasis is placed on the mind and body connection during the practice. As you move throughout the class, you will feel the understanding of how one affects the other in many ways.
If you are just started out, you may find it difficult to relax and let your mind rest, especially after a hectic day. Do not fight your body’s natural response to the work. Instead, embrace it. As you strengthen your practice, you discover new ways to quiet your mind and welcome a break from daily life.
Hatha has hundreds of powerful poses, including well-known ones such as Downward-Facing Dog and Standing Forward Bend. Poses are usually held for several breaths before you move on to the next. Hatha yoga classes generally differ depending on the time of the day. For example, a morning Hatha yoga class may be more energizing while an evening class may be calmer and may favor seated stretches over standing poses.
Yoga allows everyone to experience the benefits differently. Some of the overarching benefits include:
IMPROVED PHYSICAL FITNESS:
Hatha yoga may be able to help improve physical fitness. One study examined this with 10 healthy and untrained participants aged 18-27, who practiced Hatha yoga twice a week for a total of 8 weeks. Their classes included breathing exercises, warm-ups, strengthening, and flexibility improving yoga postures and each class ended with a 10-minute relaxation.
The results from the study showed that after 8 weeks of Hatha yoga, the participants improved their muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, cardiorespiratory fitness, and pulmonary function
REDUCED ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION:
Hatha yoga may be able to help reduce anxiety and depression. One study examined this with 63 female participants aged 40-60 and split them into two groups. Group 1 was the yoga group, and they did a 90-minute Hatha yoga class every week for 8 weeks. Group 2 was the control group and did not practice yoga.
The results showed that even after a single yoga class, stress levels were significantly reduced for the yoga group when compared to the control group. The authors of this study concluded by saying that: “Our findings support the position that regular, long-term practice of Hatha yoga provides clear and significant health benefits.”
INCREASED MUSCLE AND JOINT FLEXIBILITY:
Flexibility is an important component of physical health. Yoga offers many styles to choose from, varying in intensity from high to moderate to mild. Even the lowest intensity styles have been found to increase flexibility.
Yoga seems to be especially helpful for improving flexibility in adults ages 65 and older. Reduced flexibility is a natural part of aging, and a 2019 study found that yoga both slowed down loss and improved flexibility in older adults.
IMPROVED HEART FUNCTION:
Pranayama, often referred to as “yogic breathing,” is an important and beneficial aspect of yoga.
The Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine published a review of 1,400 studies looking at the overall effects of pranayama. One key takeaway was that yogic breathing can improve the functioning of several systems in the body.
Specifically, the research summarized in the review found that the cardiovascular system benefited mightily from controlling the pace of breathing, as evidenced by favorable changes in heart rate, stroke capacity, arterial pressure, and contractility of the heart.
This research indicates that yogic breathing may actually influence the brain’s cardiorespiratory center to improve functioning.
IMPROVED SLEEP:
Many postures in yoga are isometric contractions, meaning the length of the muscles holding the pose doesn’t change, though they are fully engaged.
For example, in Plank Pose, which is an upper pushup position, the arms, trunk, and legs are all engaged, without shortening or lengthening as they would if you were moving through a pushup.
In Warrior II, you hold a position with the lead leg bent at both the hip and knee. Isometric exercises — especially when performed with the joints in flexion — have been found to increase bone density.
Yoga asana may also reverse the bone loss associated with osteopenia and osteoporosis. One study showed that just 12 minutes of yoga per day can significantly improve bone health.