You & yoga

What is the yoga body? The yoga body is strong and flexible, soft and supple, healthy and glowing, physical and spiritual, agile and enduring. How do all these diverging elements of yoga come together? The word yoga is derived from the Sanskrit root, yuj, which means to bind, join, attach, to direct and concentrate one’s attention on. Yoga exercises every muscle, nerve and gland in the body. Yoga secures a beautiful physique, which is strong and elastic without being muscle-bound. Yoga keeps the body from disease, it reduces fatigue and soothes the nerves. A yoga body becomes strong and natural, moving effortlessly and with ease.

How is yoga different from all other forms of exercise? The difference lies in the way yoga trains the breath and disciplines the mind during the exercise. Yoga becomes meditation in motion. You breathe into and out of every yoga posture, feeling your body stretching and expanding into infinity. The more you breathe, the more life comes into your yoga.

A typical yoga class begins with the sun salutation, a series of warm-ups of continuous yoga movements, that pumps your cardiovascular system and gets your circulation going. Then comes individual postures. With your two bare feet firmly on the ground, your body rises tall and proud in tadasana, the mountain pose. Your body then folds all the way down, giving the hamstrings their full due in the forward bend series. Your joints regain their elasticity and movement as they rotate into the triangle and angle poses. With your 10 fingers pressed flat to the floor, energy travels through your arms, down your whole spine and the back of your legs to your heels, and your whole body becomes one long thick rope held taut in the downward dog pose – an absolute flab buster. Next comes sitting postures. Your nagging lower back pain instantly disappears after a round of spinal twist. Tension leaves your spine as you rise into the cobra pose.

Yoga engineering: Yoga is scientific in its precision and artistic in its beauty of form. Every yoga posture is carefully designed to stretch and tone a group of muscles along with associated joints and inner organs. Effort turns to ease when your body has aligned and the posture feels flowing. Standing postures strengthen and tone the legs and are very invigorating, and here you might be asked to feel your legs ripping the mat apart. Sitting postures work on flexibility and opening the hips. Spinal twists free up the spine, hips and lower trunk. Inversions improve circulation, are also a flab buster, and get rid of spider veins. Backbends give energy and courage, open the chest and combat depression.

Who is yoga for? Yoga is for everyone, young and old, fat or thin, soft or hard bodies. Yoga begins right where you are and takes off from there. If you have a medical condition, obviously a clearance from your doctor is advisable. Your yoga workout can be as intense or as laid-back as you want it to go. There is no rush. Yoga is entirely compatible with fitness and gym workouts. In fact, yoga stands alone as a complete workout, advancing far beyond a gym routine, and its benefits are limitless. Yoga needs no equipment other than a yoga mat and perhaps a sweat towel. Yoga is all-natural and ready to do when you are.

What kind of yoga teacher is best for me? For beginners, look for a teacher who can work with you at your level and help you to improve over time so you can develop a solid foundation. A good yoga teacher emphasizes proper body alignment, breathing, and comes around and helps to correct and adjust your posture. A good teacher breaks down each yoga posture step by step, and does not force or push your body into position. Once you feel you have the basics down, then you can branch out and try other yoga teachers and other forms of yoga: Astanga, lyengar, Bikram, etc. Some teachers will point out spiritual aspects of the yoga.

By holding a steady and pleasant posture, yoga produces mental clarity and focus, as your mind focuses on alignment and moving beyond your limitation. Every cell in your body wakes up and remembers how good it feels to be revitalized. As your yoga takes shape, your body gains agility, balance, endurance and great vitality.

(Mo-ching Yip is certified in Sivananda Yoga from India, teaches yoga at Boracay Island, and studies worldwide with Astanga and Iyengar teachers.)