Why practice yoga and where to start when deciding to practice yoga depends on what your interests, needs and intentions are. Although it’s changing, many people in the West associate yoga with exercise and the hatha yoga postures which have become synonymous with the word yoga. These postures, called asanas in Sanskrit, are just one part of a much larger body of knowledge encompassing several traditions, branches and lineages, including, tools, practices, techniques and philosophies. Some of the most notable tools are the physical postures (asana), breathwork (pranayama) and meditation (various states of being). Practicing the “tools of yoga” regularly can help with many conditions. Understanding what your interests, needs and intention are can help you choose what type of yoga to practice so that your desired effect or outcome is addressed/achieved. Even so, practicing yoga in general, one can derive benefit.

The reasons people practice yoga are numerous and help with a broad array of conditions and prescription and surgery free. Some people practice yoga to alleviate pain in the body. Others, to calm emotional reactions related to trauma, depression, stress and anxiety. Still yet, others practice to learn how to concentrate by centering and focusing their attention to experience and learn meditation. ome conditions helped include scoliosis, sciatica, general back, hip, neck and shoulder pain. The movement with the breath helps stimulate blood flow and circulation, helping toxin removal, lymphatic drainage and digestion and can help subdue the stress response, effectively reduce anxiety. In fact, yoga practice can help with most conditions.

Yoga practice can both calm and energize the body, build and restore vitality, strength, muscle tone and physical stamina.