Many people are first drawn to yoga as a way to keep their bodies fit and supple - good to look at and to live in.  Others come seeking help or relief for a specific complaint, like tension or backache.  Some are merely impelled by a sense that they are not getting as much out of life as they could be.

This posture - "Chair" - increases blood circulation in the knees and ankle joints and relieves rheumatism, arthritis and gout in the legs.

Whatever your reason, yoga can be a tool, an instrument, giving you what you came for and more.  To understand what yoga is all about you need to experience it for yourself. At first glance it seems to be little more than a series of strange physical postures, which keep the body lean and flexible.  But in time, anyone who continues with regular practice becomes aware of a subtle change in his or her approach to life for, through persistently toning and relaxing the body and stilling the mind, you begin to glimpse a state of inner peace that is your true nature.  It is this that constitutes the essence of yoga, this self-realization that we are all seeking, consciously or unconsciously, and towards which we are all gradually evolving.

Yoga keeps the muscles and joints lubricated, tone the internal organs and increase circulation without creating fatigue. Anyone can practice yoga - young or old - sick or fit - all can benefit from this discipline.

PUT YOGA INTO PRACTICE AND YOU WILL EXPERIENCE THE BENEFITS FOR YOURSELF.

Yoga exercises every part of the body, stretching and toning the muscles and joints, the spine and the entire skeletal system.  Health and fitness at the workplace can help reduce absenteeism, lower health care costs, improve employee morale, reduce employee turnover and enhance employee recruitment.  I am convinced that yoga makes for a much more productive work environment.

Yoga postures work not just the external but on the internal organs, glands and nerves as well, keeping all systems in radiant health.  By releasing physical and mental tension, yoga postures free vast resources of energy.  Yogic breathing exercises revitalize the body and help to control the mind leaving you feeling calm and refreshed while the practice of lofty thinking and meditation give increased clarity, mental power and concentration.

"The Standing Bow" - developes concentration, patience, will, grace and strengthens just about every muscle in the body.

The process of yoga is to gain control of,  purify, and quiet the body.  It is a spiritual exercise and practice wherein one is working the mind, body and spirit simultaneously.  The word "yoga" means union.  The goal is internal harmony, control of the nervous system and the conservation and storing of energy so that the body becomes a willing instrument in the even more difficult path of mental yoga, for which it is a preparation. The practice of yoga is designed to make one  inward, rather than outward. It's a path to the discovery of man's inner essence. It  involves taking  on a given posture and maintaining this same posture without moving, for a long as possible, at the same time concentrating the mind on a given point and doing what is called deep breathing.  This develops focused concentration, breath control, and a sense of command over the body.  Respect and honor to the body is very important in the daily practice of yoga.  If one practices yoga sincerely they can expect to see changes in their body and attitudes.  Yoga reverses the aging process.  Daily practice gives a sense of well-being, more energy and vitality and a more relaxed and focused sense of self.

Researchers in the field of medicine have shown that doing yoga postures and breathing techniques with a focused mind has Yoga benefits.  Studies of brain waves of Yoga students before and after a class showed that they experienced a 40% increase in alpha and theta wave functions. To translate this, after the Yoga class, the Yoga benefits resulted in the student experiencing a more deeply relaxed and better contact with their inner self.  Through this discipline, balancing brain chemicals such as endorphins, enkephalin, seratonin and melatonin alleviates depression.  Yoga postures are directed to the internal organs, to the glands of internal secretion and the nerve plexuses with which they are closely connected.  Rhythmic breathing increases oxygen to the muscles that prevents accumulation of lactic acid in the tissues.  Yoga can be done gently even when ill.  Its health giving properties are available to all.  All stress results from the mind first, then is passed on to the body.  Yoga postures are intended for you to experience a surge of Yoga benefits.  It is easy to be bogged down in social consciousness and illusions of modern life, which is full of stress and is counter-productive to our health.  We can rely on Yoga alternative health benefits to support and improve our quality of life.