It's National Yoga Month

One of my favorite activites in life is my yoga practice. It's something we can all enjoy at any stage of life and at any fitness level. I first discoverd yoga in 1993. My son Phil and I started going to the local YogaWorks in Santa Monica regularly while he was in high school. He went off to college, but I continued practicing yoga at some level, from that time on. One motivation for starting yoga were the words of an orthoepedic surgeon I had seen regarding pain in my foot. He told me that surgery was the only way to solve the problem. I told him I would try yoga first and see what happened. He told me I'd be back. I haven't been back.

It's national yoga month, and I thought I would share with you some of the benefits of yoga, both physically and mentally, and urge you to give your body a treat this month. Many yoga studios are offering a free week of yoga to introduce newbies to one of the oldest forms of exercise. The great thing about yoga is that you don't need any equipment, you can do it anytime, anyplace. It does help to have a skilled yogi leading you through your practice, especially as a beginner. You are not in competition with anyone, yet in a few short weeks you will begin to experience awesome results. Here are some of the health benefits for body, mind and spirit that you can experience.

Yoga can lower blood pressure, decrease stress, give you greater flexibility, enhance your brain function, lower cholesterol, create better skeletal alignment, strengthen your bones, improve respiration, help with weight loss, enhance circulation, and GIVE YOU DEEPER PEACE OF MIND. Those that haven't experienced the benefits of yoga find it hard to imagine it can do all this, but it can. It doesn't happen in a week or a month, but through time. Often the reason one started practicing yoga is superceded by the inner peace that yogis find so satisfying. Go to www.yogamonth.org to find a studio near you and give it a try.

I recently read a book called "Orange is the New Black" about a young woman who served 13 months in Danbury women's prison. Early in her incarceration she met an inmate who was teaching a yoga class to a group of inmates. Piper Kerman, the author of the book, felt that her development of the practice of yoga saved her life. Mentally she was peaceful and focused through her yoga practice, which made her 13 months a difficult, but tolerable journey.

Do your body and mind a favor. Just try a yoga class this month. It may, as it has done for me, lift your mind as it strengthens your body.