The many pleasant surprises brought about by yoga
Jan Parker Dial / Healthy Living columnist
Posted: Sunday, October 25, 2015 4:00 am
By Jan Parker Dial / Healthy Living columnist
Of all the reasons people come to try yoga, few, if any say it’s because they want a different way of life.
Yet almost all, after only a few months, recognize that a regular practice brings exactly that — the yogic life. Liken it, if you will, to those who who have chosen a life on the water, who sail and dock in Maine for the summer and head south to Panama for the winter. They will tell you it is more than geography — it is a lifestyle that fills something deeper than a desire to travel. The open water, the seasonal friendships, the cultures.
So it is with yoga. Teachers and studio owners hear from tentative callers who’ve heard yoga is one way to help maintain balance and flexibility as our bodies age, or heal various ailments.
“Who wants to be a stiff old woman who falls all the time?” Sarah Baxter said she started yoga as she began practicing yoga as she approached a milestone birthday, wanting to “maintain my suppleness and help me avoid a loss of balance.”
Others may even try yoga out of sense of curiosity, expecting nothing. “It looked so graceful yet powerful,” said Nic Elmore, who has been practicing for several years and occasionally teaches. “It is the perfect companion to any traditional physical exercise routine.”
Debbie Freeman, who attends classes with Baxter and Elmore, had a sense of yoga as “something positive, both physically and spiritually.” She came to yoga at a time in her life when she was seeking more to do in both realms, and said she no longer visits a chiropractor because the yoga postures and regular practice have eased years of back pain.
Like Baxter and Elmore, Freeman said she has found so much more.
“Yoga has exceeded my expectations. What started out as ‘something to do’ has become my lifeline to good health, a way of life.”
Baxter echoes her sentiments recommending that anyone suffering from sciatica or low back pain try yoga. “It has been an added and much appreciated benefit for me.” She said others suffering from the same symptoms might find it “perhaps more effective and certainly less expensive than medical treatments.”
Additionally, Elmore said yoga “fosters a quiet spirit in me,” as important as the strength and flexibility.
It is that spirit, that feeling of calm that draws others to yoga. While hearing or reading of only the basics of what yoga might offer, they are nevertheless drawn to yoga, for both its unique approach to fitness, and its accompanying link to the mind and spirit.
Christie Sproba, always conscientious about her health, tried yoga after several surgeries and other health challenges prompted her to explore a less competitive exercise regimen.
“Yoga is unique for every individual and after class you truly feel good about the time you spent taking care of yourself. It is a calming presence in an otherwise chaotic world.”
It is this message that Vikki Hartsock said she wants to share with anyone who may be struggling emotionally and might be helped by yoga. Hartsock had suffered from depression and addiction for years.
“I love yoga. I feel like this is what I’ve been looking for my whole life.” Vikki had never tried yoga until relatively recently but had read enough to know that it had a meditative facet complemented by the physical regimen. Eventually she ordered Yoga for Dummies from Amazon, and shortly after found a local studio.
“After the very first class I walked away with a sense of peace I hadn’t experienced in a while.” Vikki added that in first hearing about yoga she thought it was “just for Hindus. But it has been a spiritual journey of my own as a Christian.”
If you want to try yoga, there are many Montgomery County studios offering classes. None require a long-term commitment and all offer one-time “drop-in” rates.
Jan Parker Dial is the owner of Grace Yoga and can be reached at jpd1978@yahoo.com. She’s also a columnist for the United Way Healthy Living Alliance.