By Naomi Sophia Call
Yoga offers you the opportunity to deepen your self-understanding by engaging body, mind & spirit. Anyone can practice yoga, regardless of age, physical condition, lifestyle, belief system, or economic situation. It requires nothing more than your body and your willingness. You don’t need any previous experience, and there is nothing else you need to buy. Any loose-fitting sleepwear will be perfect for your new morning routine.
With a small commitment of time each morning, in the comfort and privacy of your own bed, you can harvest the many benefits of yoga: a healthier and more beautiful body, increased vitality, emotional balance, an uplifted spirit, and a clear, focused mind. You may even find that aches, pains, and degenerative problems diminish considerably or even disappear. Yoga in bed is a practical beginner’s way that safely and gently introduces you to this time-honored practice without requiring special clothing, sticky mats, or driving somewhere. You won’t have to find a teacher or, possibly even more difficult, a good parking spot.
Breathe
Yoga is said to be ninety percent breath and ten percent postures. To people who think of yoga as a series of postures, this may seem strange, but the emphasis on correct breathing is much more significant than most people realize. Many people breathe unnaturally—you may find that you will have to re-pattern some of your own breathing habits.
The early practitioners of yoga developed conscious breathing as a fundamental means for improving the functioning of their bodies and for increasing longevity. They discovered that breath is linked to the mind; any change in one affects the other. By slowing down the breath, they found that they were able to effectively quiet the mind for meditation.
Medical research confirms that focusing attention on quieting your breath slows down your respiratory rate and heartbeat. All systems in your body then respond in harmony, including your thought processes—a relaxation response that reduces stress on all organs, and can increase your longevity. For many, this is reason enough to begin a yoga practice.…
For full article and author bio see Well Being Journal, Vol. 21, No. 1. in the print or digital version.
