yoga for health (and so much more!)

...yoga has several facets, and though the aim and culmination of yoga is the sight of the soul, it has lots of beneficial side effects... among which are health, happiness, peace and poise

B.K.S Iyengar

We are all drawn to practice yoga for a wide variety of reasons, whether it be for exercise, or connecting with yourself on a deeper level, increasing flexibility,  addressing an injury or assisting with anxiety or simply to maintain peace of mind. One interesting yoga article cites 38 specific health benefits of yoga, and I believe this number is really just scratching the surface of possible benefits physically and physiologically that can be attained through a regular yoga practice. Although it is by no means the ultimate goal of yoga, a healthy body and mind is vital preparation for reaching these higher states of awareness.

Do you remember what initially sparked your interest towards yoga?

 For me, I was 17 and my initial motivation was physicality and flexibility (ie how high I could get my leg and how bendy I could make my body!!). It wasn't until I was in my early to mid-20s that I truly started to feel the spiritual essence of my practice, beyond the pose. And now as a 37 yr old mother of two my yoga quite simply is essential for my sanity and my state of mind! 
If you're new to yoga or yet to attend a formal class for yourself, you might have a particular reason (health or otherwise) that draws you to the concept of yoga, that one day you hope to explore. 

I remember one of my yoga teachers once saying years ago that he would probably be dead if it wasn't for yoga, and although this sounded quite dramatic to me at the time, I would have to admit that I now completely appreciate where he was coming from.


From my own personal experience, I use yoga to assist me in managing a variety of health conditions, including Hashimotos Disease, Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction (TMJ), anemia, anxiety and pelvic congestion syndrome. Quite frankly I don't know where I would be without it! 

​My 'Yoga for Health' program that I'm starting in August was developed for this very reason - recently I suddenly became acutely aware of how much I rely on my own yoga practice to manage my (very long!) list of health issues, and how I really hadn't even realised I was doing it - but that it helped me so significantly on a daily basis that I felt I had to share my practices with others who could benefit.