Why do you practice Yoga?

Why do you practice Yoga? Do you expect to live a more harmonious life? Does it make you feel healthier? Yoga as Sanctuary is a fantastic article about letting go of instant gratification and letting Yoga take you through the journey of achieving prosperity, pleasure, virtue and freedom.

Yoga comes from the Sanskrit work “Yuj” which means to yoke, join or unite. It is the joining or integrating all aspects of the individual to achieve a happy, balanced and useful life. The article above mentions that the aim of Yoga is fourfold. This aim, really, is using the practice of Yoga to help achieve four goals, or Purusharthas.

Please take a minute to read the article! You may just feel a little different about why you practice Yoga after!

What do you think? Come share with us on Facebook!

The Benefits of Yoga

Did you know that over the last five years Yoga was considered one of the top 10 complementary and alternative medicine practices in the United States?

If you practice Yoga you are most likely aware of the wide array of benefits provided already, but some may not know just how helpful Yoga can be. Yoga in its full form combines physical postures, breathing exercises, meditation, and a distinct philosophy. Yoga is intended to increase relaxation and balance the mind, body, and the spirit.

Formal, in depth research is being done to find out how exactly Yoga can be used to benefit our health, but so far research suggests that Yoga might:

· Improve mood and sense of well-being

· Counteract stress

· Reduce heart rate and blood pressure

· Increase lung capacity

· Improve muscle relaxation and body composition

· Help with conditions such as anxiety, depression, and insomnia

· Improve overall physical fitness, strength, and flexibility

· Positively affect levels of certain brain or blood chemicals.

Yoga Sanctuary provides many different types of services that will assist in helping you achieve better overall health through the practice of Yoga. Classes are available daily and specialty workshops are ongoing. If you are unsure doing Yoga is the best option, Thai Yoga Bodywork is also available.

If you have been questioning whether Yoga may be right for you why not visit us at Yoga Sanctuary and give it a try? Your first class is free! You can visit our website for testimonials, rates, and to contact us with any questions! Please visit us at www.yogasanctuary.com!

(some information cited from http://nccam.nih.gov/health/yoga/introduction.htm)

Wake Up!

"If we can stay awake when our lives are changing, secrets will be revealed to us--secrets about ourselves, about the nature of life, and about the eternal source of happiness and peace that is always available, always renewable, already within us." —Elizabeth Lesser “If we can stay awake…” That’s the challenge! Can we stay present, especially when the going gets tough? That’s the time when I’m most apt to over eat, over drink and just plain space out to avoid that challenge. Yet when our lives are changing is when we can receive the most learning and probably experience the most progress (and isn’t life always in transition?). Yogic philosophy teaches about The Witness, that part of us which is untainted and is always awake and aware. “What’s happening now?” is the perfect question to ask at any moment of our lives but particularly when we are changing. Remaining in witness consciousness to watch for the answers will reveal those secrets Lesser mentions. Pranayama, or breathwork, provides the support and energy to move through the emotional rollercoaster of fear that arises during changing times. Meditation allows the mind to find protection from itself and its fearful wanderings. As Lesser reminds us, that source of happiness is always available to us and that’s the good news!