Inner Peace - Balance - Stress Management - Confidence

What do all these things have in common? First, they are all things we want to work on improving in our busy American lifestyles. Getting better at these areas has long been suggested by health pros as a way to increase our standard of living, reduce the risk of injury or sickness, and even to live longer!

Second, these are all benefits of working out with Yoga! Hatha yoga - the physical yoga postures or “asanas” that most of us associate with yoga exercise - is a way to increase muscle, increase the range of motion in our joints, and create an opportunity for calm, balance and relaxation in our daily schedules. Now before you get scared that I am going to go all “transcendental” on you, don’t worry! Though yoga traditionally does include a large amount of spiritual, meditative and holistic practices, you can get many of the advantages of a yoga way of living by just incorporating a little yoga fitness workout routine into your weekly schedule. Whether you can do 60-minutes 3x per week, or slide in some Sun Salutations for 15 minutes every morning - even a moderate increase in your activity level thru the incorporation of yoga practices can help.

One of the biggest objections many people have about working out with yoga is over the fear that they don’t have time for exercise. Working out at home with a yoga fitness DVD can be a great solution to the problem.

I know your schedule already feels jammed and you are worried you will not have time for yoga. As a full-time-mom ( all parents are full-time in my opinion - you never stop working to give your youngsters the best ) and a business-owner, I find that there are never enough hours in the day to do everything I must. However, it is important to prioritize your wellbeing and leave time for replenishing your body and spirit on an everyday basis. Exercise is a superb way to do that. When you figure out at home with a yoga fitness DVD, you can slide in your exercise if you have time. Before dawn when the house is quiet, when the children are asleep or the family’s watching TV downstairs, or as a family activity that encourages everybody in the household to be active and share time together.

Another concern that many folks have about yoga exercise is that it may cost more than we are able to afford. Yoga has essentially enjoyed a period of “trendiness” recently and with yoga classes growing up all over the country at select fitness centers and apartments, it’s simple to see how yoga has gotten the name for being expensive. However, remember that yoga was developed by ascetics in some of the poorest areas of the Earth. You have got more than they do re material possessions - if they can do it, you can do. Although you do not “need” anything to practice yoga, and you can even learn it free with some workout videos from the library or picture books that show you step by step what to do, I counsel that you start with two necessities : A yoga mat to improve your comfort and safety while doing the poses, and a good instructional yoga video to steer you through a workout or two that you can follow and enjoy every day.

For the price of a class or two at the local yoga studio, you can get everything you need to workout at home. Besides the yoga workout DVD, you may need to pick up a yoga mat, or some cute yoga clothes, but these are not required to get started.

I encourage you to look into yoga exercise as a total body workout, or a supplement to your existing health regimen.