Why Should You Add Yoga for Your Vitality

Many experts agree that one of the most important keys to good health and vitality is a healthy spine.

To keep yourself feeling balanced and healthy, and to ensure optimal spinal health, you need to consider yoga. However, yoga has a reputation for asking practitioners to bend and twist into pretzel-like knots or to stand on their heads for long periods of time. While there is a bit of accuracy in this viewpoint, the reality is that yoga can be done by a novice and without enrolling in costly classes or crowded fitness rooms.

Yoga 109

To begin understanding yoga means shedding all of those inaccurate ideas about it. It must first be understood as a spiritual technique as well as a series of very formal body movements. It is a great part of a whole body wellness program because the goal of all yoga practice is to blend mind, body, and spirit.

The "yoga" that you might think of when you hear someone say that they do yoga each days is probably the form known as Hatha Yoga, which is also called the "physical path" of yoga. There is also a royal path, a wisdom path, and more.

All varieties of Hatha Yoga use what are known as asanas, or the postures that are so familiar to most people. There is also pranayama, which is the breathing used during yoga. Some forms use mudra or bodily gestures, and some also incorporate shatkarma, which is considered to be a sort of cleansing.

However, if you are going to use yoga for your well being and vitality, you are going to probably emphasize the physical movements, the asanas, and some of the breathing.

Super Strength

The coordination and focus that yoga practice requires is a bit like a meditation. It is impossible to allow the mind to wander when you are focused on synchronizing movements, breathing, and a clear mind.

However, this does not mean that yoga is not a real "workout". It is a form of exercise that strengthens and lengthens muscles, it gives many people bodies that are similar to those of children.

For example, an experienced yoga practitioner can often easily stand on their head, form an arch with their bodies, and maintain a very erect posture without fatigue. This comes from the stretching and strengthening that daily yoga demands.

Because so much of our energy, stamina, and strength can be reduced by a lack of adequate movement in the muscles (which can lead to atrophy of those muscles), it is imperative to incorporate some basic yoga into each day. You will find it feels a bit like being a kid again as you see what your body can do and as you work towards goals. Not only will you give yourself a stronger and longer spine, but a much healthier and longer life too.