If you are considering taking advantage of the health benefits of a yoga practice 2 misconceptions of yoga might have already crossed your mind.

1. You must be flexible to be good at Yoga. 

The key to practicing yoga correctly is body awareness. It is actually easier to learn how to hold postures correctly when you are tight at first then if your joints are hypermobile. Feeling resistance in your muscle as you come into a posture is your body's way of letting you know that, right there is enough. Yoga is not a competition and every body will look different in each pose. One's own body might look different in a posture from day to day, or moment to moment. Surrendering to where your body is in the moment can be a quite a metophor for life i.e. staying in the moment, acceptance, body image and self esteem. 

2. Yoga is a religion. 

Yoga is a lifestyle practice. The word "yoga" means to unite. In a yoga class this might be uniting breath with moving the body, it might mean uniting the body with the mind. The goal of yoga is to remove the sources of suffering so that we can be happy. The first step to achieving this is through awareness. It is through awareness that we can make changes. The yoga postures were first developed to stretch and lengthen the body so that one could sit comfortably in meditation. Think about the last time you had a moment or 5 of quiet and stillness when your thoughts weren't wandering through your mind like wild fire. 

Find a teacher that resonates with you. Yoga is traditionally an oral tradition. This means that historically you would have a teacher that worked with you one on one. You would come to your teacher with a question or a problem and your teacher would give you a yoga technique to try. If it worked you would use it and if it didn't then you would try a different technique. If om-ing in class doesn't fit with your needs find a class that shys away from sanscrit chants. If headstand is not something you feel ready for find a gentle yoga class. There is nothing that you need to subscribe to once you are on a yoga mat except to trust your body's own innate wisdom. 

Each Monday and Thursday Whole Health Acupuncture holds Gentle Yoga at St. Emily's Church in the gathering center from 4:00-5:00p. Here are a few benefits students from all body types and age ranges have to share. 

>> I only sleep straight through the night on nights after coming to yoga.

>> I leave feeling stretched, refreshed and re-energized. 

>> In just a couple of classes my flexibility and balance have already improved

>> My body feels stronger

>> I don't feel as anxious and I feel more calm during my work week 

   
Drop in a join us every Monday and Thursday

4:00-5:00pm

St. Emily's Church
1400 Central Rd
Mt. Prospect IL 60056

If you are looking for a get away join us for a yoga retreat in September in Wisconsin. Check the website under retreats for more details www.wholehealthprograms.com


Sarah Zender LAc, LMT is co-founder of Whole Health Acupuncture and is a licensed Acupuncturist and Massage Therapist as well as adjunct professor at the College of Lake County and Oakton Community College. For more information you can email her at Sarah@wholehealthprograms.com