August 1,2007, The Times of Acadiana By Kera Simon
timesedit@timesofacadiana.com
Yoga not just stretching and humming, like the common stereotype might suggest. It’s actually quite challenging and can really make you sweat.
Yoga has been around for thousands of years and is described as improving the mind, body and spirit. It can be very therapeutic, allowing self-awareness of one’s body and breath. While you may not be into the spiritual aspect, although that has been the most frequently commented positive aspect, yoga can provide a number of health benefits. There are too many to fully list, so here are just a few.
1. Improved posture: Yoga helps you to stand taller and release pressure in the back.
2. Respiratory rate decreases: By concentrating your breathing, you’re able to slow down and improve your breath.
3. Hand-eye coordination improves and awareness of one’s body: Hitting the different yoga poses draws you to concentrate on your movements and control your body.
Learn more at: Lafayette Center for Yoga
The Times of Acadiana
Some people find their own escape in more physical activity, like yoga, another popular “better yourself” class. People who participate in yoga said they leave feeling accomplished and fulfilled. The great part about yoga is the fact that there is no comparison amongst practitioners.
“Today in society, you sometimes feel forced to be what society wants you to be, but in yoga, it accepts you for who you are,” said Tracy Credeur, who started practicing yoga when her son began school and she had more time for herself. Tracy Credeur still sells real estate on the side, but after her son was born, she decided to put him first. During his first four years of life, she was devoted to his needs and didn’t take time for herself. When he started school last fall, she was able to concentrate more on herself. She joined a gym and started practicing yoga in October. Now she practices yoga at the Lafayette Center for Yoga, a studio completely devoted to yoga. On an evening once a week, Credeur leaves her son with her husband, which she said she probably never would have done before, to relax but still challenge herself.
Neil Grasham was looking to find himself when he began practicing yoga three years ago. The UL undergraduate and Rug Gallery employee had tried tai-chi, pilates and meditation, but found that yoga used all of those aspects and sought to better understand oneself.
“Yoga helps you to understand your feelings,” Grasham said. “It teaches you that stress is something you can deal with easily just by breathing and understanding that in the moment, you might be under stress, but really it’s nothing you should blow your top over."
"You get out of anything what you put into it,” Lynda Frese said.
The yoga student has been practicing for six years and said it’s something she’s always looked forward to doing it. Frese, who works out of her home, resisted yoga at first because she said she didn’t want “any of that spiritual stuff,” but now it’s became her favorite part.
