Let’s
see…gardening, mowing, pulling out patio furniture, cleaning
the grill, eating hot dogs, hamburgers, chips, and macaroni salad….this
calls for some yoga!
Before you start pulling out the weeds with both arms, or reach up
while on a ladder to paint the porch, make sure you stretch out a
little bit. Injuries in spring always include thrown out backs and
aching necks and shoulders, but if you would just take a few minutes
each day to stretch, some of these aches and pains could be prevented.
For example, the posture shown above will not only strengthen the
thighs and knees, it opens the shoulders providing increased blood
flow through the area. This nourishes and protects the joint from
injury and pain. The lower back seems to be a problem among many people
around the yard, but by doing a little back bend each day, vertebrae
are compressed and opened. This increases circulation through the
muscles around the spine and the spinal nerves, building strength
and creating energy in the body.
After a nice grilled hamburger with cheese and onions, some chips
and a half a plate of potato salad, you probably feel a little….full.
Bow pose massages the internal organs, stimulating the digestive system.
The alternating stretching and releasing of the abdominal muscles
increases blood flow to this area and aids all sorts of digestive
disorders and discomforts. This posture, as you have read, aids in
all sorts of relieving and preventing ailments in the body. Strain
or fatigue in the legs is also released after a few repetitions. Extended
practice will help develop upper-body strength. The list goes on and
on.
“But I can’t grab my feet,” you say.
Don’t worry, there are ways to receive the full benefits without
holding on to both feet, but you’ll have to come to yoga class
to find out how. Just think, if this One posture does all this, what
do the other Twenty-five do?
How much better would the summer be if you could enjoy it pain
and ache free. For information on classes and how they can help you,
call the Bikram Yoga studio anytime. Don’t miss the June 8th
Open House! 304-615-3017.
