Did you know? Did you know that Yoga is here to serve us...(Video)

Did you know? Did you know that Yoga is here to serve us...and we are not here to serve Yoga? In our Yoga practice, poses that are injurious to us are to be skipped until our body heals. The ability to let go of unintelligent poses and allow the body to heal is a sign of an advanced Yogi!

Fred Busch

Yoga’s goal, as many of you know, is to unite the body, mind and the spirit. Since ancient times yogis have viewed the body and mind as one, and when given proper instruction and guidance, and practiced in a right environment, it can find harmony and heal itself. Yoga practice is therefore considered therapeutic. It helps you become more aware of your body's posture, alignment and patterns of movement. It conditions the body, making it more flexible and supports a relaxed state even while in the midst of a stressful environment. This is the primary reason people want to start yoga practice - to feel more fit, more energetic, happier and peaceful. But there’s more...

Physiologically Yoga prompts the body to achieve...

• Physiologically Yoga prompts the body to achieve...
• Stable autonomic nervous system equilibrium
• Pulse rate decreases
• Respiratory rate decreases
• Blood Pressure decreases (of special significance for hyporeactors)
• Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) increases
• EEG - alpha waves increase (theta, delta, and beta waves also increase during various stages of meditation)
• EMG activity decreases
• Cardiovascular efficiency increases
• Respiratory efficiency increases
• Gastrointestinal function normalizes
• Endocrine function normalizes
• Excretory functions improve
• Musculoskeletal flexibility and joint range of motion increase
• Breath-holding time increases
• Joint range of motion increase
• Grip strength increases
• Eye-hand coordination improves
• Dexterity skills improve
• Reaction time improves
• Posture improves
• Strength and resiliency increase
• Endurance increases
• Energy level increases
• Weight normalizes
• Sleep improves
• Immunity increases
• Pain decreases
• Steadiness improves
• Depth perception improves
• Balance improves
• Integrated functioning of body parts improves

Psychologically Yoga prompts the mind to achieve...  

• Somatic and kinesthetic awareness increase
• Mood improves and subjective well-being increases
• Self-acceptance and self-actualization increase
• Social adjustment increases
• Anxiety and Depression decrease
• Hostility decreases
• Concentration improves
• Memory improves
• Attention improves
• Learning efficiency improves
• Mood improves
• Self-actualization increase
• Social skills increases
• Well-being increases
• Somatic and kinesthetic awareness increase
• Self-acceptance increase
• Attention improves
• Concentration improves
• Memory improves
• Learning efficiency improves
• Symbol coding improves
• Depth perception improves

Biochemically Yoga promotes...

• Glucose decreases
• Sodium decreases
• Total cholesterol decreases
• Triglycerides decrease
• HDL cholesterol increases
• LDL cholesterol decreases
• VLDL cholesterol decreases
• Cholinesterase increases
• Catecholamines decrease
• ATPase increases
• Hematocrit increases
• Hemoglobin increases
• Lymphocyte count increases
• Total white blood cell count decreases
• Thyroxin increases
• Vitamin C increases
• Total serum protein increases