Bums in the air! (Yoga in general)

Member Name: lyndsay3201

Product:	Yoga in general
Date:	12/02/09 (134 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Flexibility, muscle strength

Disadvantages: Not sure yet

If you have read any of my previous reviews, you may be aware that I'm currently trying to shift the last of my baby weight. In my quest for the perfect body (never gonna happen), I've been hitting the gym and trying out a few exercise classes - the latest being Yoga.

Having purchased a Yoga video years ago, I had a basic understanding of what Yoga is. The video was Geri Halliwell's which she released when she was stick thin, so I had bought it believing it would also make me that thin. After a couple of months, my scales hadnt moved and I ditched the video as Geri was very annnoying on it.

So what is Yoga? It is a practice originating in India over 5000 years ago. The name 'Yoga' is derived fro a Sanskrit word meaning union ie the union between the body, mind and spirit. From a beginners point of view I would describe it as a mixture of stretches and breathing exercises. Practicing Yoga is thought to have many benefits including ; flexibility, strength, muscle tone, better breathing, mental calmness and stress reduction. From my brief experience I concur that it does help with flexibility however I didn't feel any of the other benefits - maybe I was doing it wrong though.

My latest dalliance with Yoga was a 60 minute class at my local sports centre. The class was taught by a lovely lady with a calmness about her, and there was around 30 participants in the class.
It began with us all lying on our mats and concentrating on breathing, then what I would decribe as a few stretches.
We then went on to perform a few Sun Salutations. This is a routine of 12 postures (positions) performed in one graceful flow. The Sun Salutation isn't difficult to do however it did cause me to sweat and pant slightly after the first couple of rounds - and my whole body felt stretched afterwards.

After that, the instructor guided us through a number of postures. These are basically positions to put your body into, and hold whilst concentrating on breathing properly. My two favorite postures were the warrior poses and the Cobra.
The warrior poses are excellent for strengthening my legs and bum as well as improving balance (I'm not too fussed about balance).
I love the cobra pose as it really stretches my spine and helps to ease my back pain - it also strengthens the back and arms.
I also enjoyed the downward dog, where we got into a sort of upside down triangle and stuck our bums high in the air - it really helped stretch my hamstrings.

In my limited experience, I agree that practicing Yoga can improve your physical wellbeing ie building strength, muscle tone, flexibility. In my case it has not affected my mental health, but then i'm a happy stress free person anyway so maybe I wouldn't notice.
I would reccomend trying a Yoga class to most people. I found it relaxing in parts, and my body felt great afterwards. It isn't high impact and can be suitable for everyone - even complete beginners.
I don't think Yoga alone will get me the perfect body, but it might help somewhat.

Summary: Give it a go and see what you think.