By Steve Cline

It took about 5,000 years for yoga, one of the oldest systems of movement, to become our hottest form of exercise.

Yoga classes are the nation’s fastest-growing fitness classes, according to a survey by the health and fitness group IDEA. An estimated 85 percent of gyms teach yoga, up 54 percent from 1996. And with roughly 15 million Americans doing yoga, it has clearly gone from mystical to mainstream.

“You don’t have to go to some strange, incense-filled room to practice yoga anymore,” says Therese Iknoian, a registered yoga teacher and coauthor of Mind-Body Fitness for Dummies. “And that’s really good because yoga can be a beautiful way for people to add some movement or exercise to their lives.”

Yoga dates back to 3000 B.C. in India. Through the ages, it has grown to include hundreds of styles. “There are so many kinds of yoga that itcan really be whatever a person wants,” Ms. Iknoian says. “It can be incredibly easy or it can be extremely athletic.”

Hatha yoga is the broad term for the physical form of yoga taught in classes. It consists of a series of physical poses, or asanas, that flow from one to another. The poses stress balance, coordination, strength and flexibility.

This low-impact exercise can aid muscular endurance, strength and flexibility and lower your blood pressure, says Ralph La Forge, Sc.D., an exercise physiologist at Duke University Medical Center. More athletic forms, such as power yoga, offer an aerobic workout. But Dr. La Forge recommends mixing yoga with more conventional exercises such as walking, biking or swimming to ensure a good workout for your heart and lungs.

Yoga can offer a good workout at any fitness level. “You don’t even need to be flexible to do yoga,” says Trisha Lamb Feuerstein, research director for the Yoga Research and Education Center. “It’s not necessary to do any kind of advanced poses.Yoga meets you where you are.”

Yoga (which means “union” in Sanskrit) has also been shown to ease stress. A survey commissioned by Yoga Journal found that four out of five people who practiced yoga did so to reduce stress or improve mood. For that to happen, Dr. La Forge says, the class must teach proper breathing and an attentive approach to poses.

If you focus on your breath and stay conscious of your movements, yoga offers a dimension of awareness that most other exercises don’t. “If you stick with yoga long enough, you will get in touch with those inner aspects because that’s its original purpose,” Ms. Lamb Feuerstein says.Yoga was meant to ready people for meditation.

If you want to try yoga, look for a class billed as beginner yoga, soft yoga or restorative yoga. Viniyoga is another form that focuses on slow movement and breathing.

As yoga has gained popularity, injuries have risen too. Neck and lower back injuries are the most common.

“The growing number of injuries are usually caused by people jumping into intermediate classes without doing a little homework,” Dr. La Forge warns. He suggests you stick with a beginner class for four to six weeks before you try more vigorous forms such as power yoga, particularly if you’re 30 or older. Add intensity with caution, paying attention to your body’s warnings.

Get to your first class early to speak with the instructor. Let him or her know you’re a beginner. Discuss any physical issues you may have, such as back or knee problems or high blood pressure.

“The bottom line is that yoga shouldn’t hurt,” says Ms. Iknoian. “Work with your teacher to make sure that you are comfortable.”

Many classes offer aids for the less flexible.You can loop belts or straps around your foot to provide stability as you stretch toward your toes. Or you can lean on blocks when you can’t touch the ground. Blankets, small pillows or rolled-up towels can support the neck, back or knees, which may be open to injury.

Classes often last 60 to 90 minutes. Wear loose clothing, such as a short-sleeved T-shirt and sweat pants.

“For most people, yoga can be a beautiful addition to their life,” Ms. Iknoian says. “It’s a wonderful way to add some movement and relaxation to your life.”

A Yoga Glossary
Asana — a pose or physical posture
Ashtanga — an athletic, flowing form of yoga also called “power yoga”
Bikram — a very physical form of yoga done in very warm temperatures, also called “hot yoga”
Hatha — an umbrella term for yoga that involves different asanas, often used to describe a blend of two or more styles of yoga
Iyengar — a yoga of precise poses that are held, sometimes with the aid of props like belts or blocks
Prana — a term for breath
Pranayama — breath control
Viniyoga — a form of yoga that focuses on slow movements and breathing

Source: yogajournal.com

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