By Mary Jo Hallberg
Yoga isn’t right for you? Think again
I hear a variety of reasons people don’t try yoga: I’m too old, I’m not flexible, I have arthritis, it’s boring, I can’t get down on the floor, it’s not a real workout, etc.
Here are the facts. You don't have to be Gumby-flexible or Olive Oyl-skinny to savor the deep-down benefits of yoga. Almost anyone, in any shape and at any age, can do this 5,000-year-old fitness art.
Here are some of the new benefits just turned up by researchers across the country:
Better sleep despite joint pain. Osteoarthritis keeping you up nights? A gentle, 20-minute yoga routine can help you drop off faster, sleep more deeply and spend less time tossing and turning.
Fibromyalgia relief. If you're struggling with this ache-all-over condition, sign up for beginner yoga classes. Eight weeks of gentle poses and breathing exercises can reduce pain by 24 percent, fatigue by 30 percent and depression by 42 percent.
Find your balance after a stroke. Specially adapted yoga poses using chairs and other props can help improve people's balance after a stroke by up to 34 percent - protecting them from painful and even life-threatening falls in the future, say Indiana scientists.
Hope and comfort during cancer treatment. Breast cancer patients who take weekly classes in "restorative" yoga - think deeply relaxing poses - feel more peaceful, less depressed and not so tired.
Happier moods. Yoga may be even better than walking for lifting low moods, because it boosts levels of a natural anxiety-easing brain chemical called GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid).
Especially if you're dealing with a challenging health condition, your body deserves a taste of yoga's special feel-good vibe - a result of its ability to boost blood levels of serotonin, dopamine and endorphins, three natural feel-good brain chemicals.
Just do a little homework before your first session. For instance, talk with your doctor if you've got a chronic condition like heart disease, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, glaucoma or arthritis, and get any advice in writing so you don't forget it and can pass it on to your instructor.
Here at Gloria Dei, we have Yoga Devotion, a regular Yoga class offered on Tuesdays at 6:30 PM beginning September 13.
A Saturday morning class is offered at Lumen Christi Catholic Church beginning in September.
If there is enough interest, we will offer a Chair Yoga class one morning a week at Gloria Dei. This is for those with a chronic illness such as Fibromyalgia, severe osteoarthritis, or decreased mobility (can't get down on floor).
After you have received doctor’s permission and you begin a class, aim for comfort, not strain. Go slow, ask questions, listen to your body and stop immediately if you feel pain.
Did you know…
Learn all about Glycemic Index of food.