A Stretch

Yoga: Just Keep Breathing.

by MEREDITH CHILES DOLHARE

ILLUSTRATION BY JUAN DOLHARE

I admit it. I initially wanted to write this column fueled by sheer skepticism. Experienced “yogis,” meaning anyone who practices yoga, tend to make broad, seemingly impossible generalizations, like: “Imagine waking up one morning and finding yourself filled with total joy, with a mind absolutely free of confusion and uncertainty. The ego has fallen away and oneness with the universal force of love and goodness is achieved.”

To my relief, Gary Rosenberg, a local Memphis yoga guru and instructor, is a little more down to earth on yoga’s virtues. “Yoga works from the inside and moves outward, using breath as a guide,” he says. “The alignment of your body and the smoothness of your breath allow for the continuous flow of air through the lungs. As a result, the body is able to follow the postures to the degree that your body is ready to experience them.” Rosenberg also recommends using your breath as a difficulty guide. As with any activity, if your breathing quickens, relax and attempt to regain control of it. The idea is to eliminate strain or any uneven movements. Yoga should never be painful. If it is, you’re doing something wrong.

Whether you are a couch potato, a moderate exerciser, or a competitive athlete, yoga could be one way to go. Some studies even suggest that yoga eases migraine and lower-back pain and boosts physical confidence and concentration skills. The beauty of yoga is that it is noncompetitive and entirely personal. Even if you are not entirely mobile or are recovering from an illness, yoga can be practiced with eye exercises and simple stretches for alternative therapy. The complexity of the exercises is up to you.

While other exercise programs tend to benefit only part of you — leg strength, cardiovascular fitness, or fat burning, for example — yoga keeps all of you — body, mind, attitude — in good shape. “How?” you may ask. Yoga postures, or asanas, enable energy to flow freely through the entire body by aligning the spine and releasing negativity. In the process, the asanas tone muscles and trim excess weight. Now who doesn’t want that?

To be honest, I wanted to know a little more about how “energy” flow and the release of “negativity” get you into physical shape, but it really does make sense. The key to yoga’s fitness power is in the synthesis of everything you are — mind, body, and spirit. Mind power builds body power and a healthy body builds a positive attitude toward life, which is central to the body’s natural healing powers. Have a friend who’s constantly sick? Ever noticed that he or she tends toward the negative? Maybe they should give yoga a whirl.

Now here’s the part to get you hooked: how yoga can enhance your current exercise program. Typically, Western forms of exercise emphasize stress on the muscles combined with movements that trigger lactic-acid production in muscle fibers, leading to pain. Yoga’s emphasis on breathing, or pranayama, on the other hand, delivers more oxygen to muscles, lessening the production and buildup of this acid and increasing lung capacity or endurance. Bonus number one: Yoga means less pain and no huffing and puffing! And, again, who doesn’t want that?

Next, yoga’s emphasis on balance encourages better coordination and more fluid, graceful movements. These qualities could benefit anyone, from tennis players to aerobicizers. In addition, the postures, the asanas, lengthen and flex the muscles, thus creating a longer, leaner look even if you’re already lifting weights several times a week.

I hope I didn’t lose you back there when I mentioned adding one more something to your already crammed schedule. But if we have to return to the age-old time issue once again, here’s where I stress (again) that whether you have 10 minutes or two hours, a few yoga postures a day might ease you into that state of “total joy” yogis promise and that initially caused my eyes to roll. So get out there and give it a try, but most importantly, enjoy it.