Yoga—A Journey to finding peace of mind and body
General Overview of Yoga
In today's era, yoga has become a heavily evolved and branching style of exercise, with over a hundred different forms of the art existing. From its true, original form, hatha yoga, to the more contemporary styles, like restorative and bikram, there are a variety of different ways yoga is practiced (Tracy, 2013)
Yoga in the United States is practiced by more than 9.7 million people, according to a 2015 study on the topic (Jackson, 2015). The form has become incredibly popular in recent years, with people using it as an alternative for treatments like massage therapy and chiropractics. It has become such a renowned practice that there are studios in almost every city that dedicate themselves to reflecting on the art. To find a local yoga studio near you, visit the site, YogaClassNearYou to start your journey!
As with all forms of exercises, research on the benefits of yoga is quite broad and abundant. Even so, many studies show that yoga is correlated with increased flexibility in the body, alleviated back pain and arthritis (Patel, 2012). In addition, according to studies, yoga has also been known to enlighten the mind and reduce stress, anxiety, and weariness. Yoga can be highly beneficial to those desiring these traits, and with all forms of physical activity, will promote a longer lifespan if done frequently and properly.
"So many people are stealing Bikram Yoga. It's like you're practicing medicine, but you're not a doctor." - Bikram Choudhury, founder of Bikram Yoga
When practicing yoga, one should place certain caution, as there are certain risks tied with the practice. While it is general a low-risk form of exercise, yoga should always be practiced under trained supervision if one is inexperienced about doing it, especially for certain, more complex poses. Doing so will reduce the chance of sprains, nerve damage, and muscular injuries. For more information on safety and injury prevention, visit the NCCIH's official page on yoga.