Why Yoga?

The initial benefits of Yoga are immediate. As you move your body in new and unique ways, muscles are strengthened, balance is found, flexibility is gained, and toxins are reduced. As you progress in your yoga practice you will feel both a sense of accomplishment and well-being. Vitality is gained. Life begins to have more of lightness to it, as if your body is saying thank you for the gentle stretch.

Yoga postures are unique in that they put the body in positions that aren't normally experienced in daily routine or other exercise activities. Take for instance a posture called the twist: you wring your spine almost like a dishrag, releasing the old and stale "junk" that gets stuck at the core of your body allowing the body to bring in fresh blood and energy. There is a saying in yoga: a flexible, healthy spine is at the core of a flexible, healthy life. Yoga postures give you this healthy spine to support all your activities.

Another benefit you will experience from yoga is a growing sense of ease and calmness. Resting at the end of the practice allows your body to assimilate the movement, restore vitality, and heal dis-ease. As tension dissipates, you will become less franctic and more graceful. Ease begins to seep into your day, making you strong and centered to face the ups and downs of life.

As you find your centeredness, you will be more motivated to live the life you want. Doing yoga gives you a foundation to put clarity and strength behind your daily choices. Life becomes more interesting as happiness and contentment become normal feelings.

It doesn't matter your age; weight, or flexibility. Yoga will meet you where you are and support you to live your life awake.

Deborah Adele is an engaging, lively, and thought-provoking speaker who is not afraid to share stories from her own years of living and learning. She facilitates thoughtful and tangible ways of showing up to life in new ways, leaving participants with a dynamic combination of hope, inspiration, and practical knowledge. She is the author of The Yamas & Niyamas: Exploring Yoga's Ethical Practice, 2 CD's: The Art of Relaxation and The Practice of Meditation and authored a regular wellness column for the Duluth News Tribune.

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